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University  Lihrary 

University  of  California  •  Berkeley 

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A  Book  of  Horrors ! 


THE  CRIMES 

y/^OF      THE 

Latter  Day  Saints 

IN    UTAH. 

BY   A    MORMON    OF    1831. 


A  Demand  for  a  Legislative  Cominission. 


SAN    FRANCISCO: 
A.  J.  Leary,  Printek  and  Publisher,  402-404  Sansome  Street. 

,-iterecl  according^  to  Act  of  Congress,  in  the  year  1884,  by  A.  J.  Leary,  in  the  office  of  the  Librarian  of 
Congress,  at  Washington,  D.  C. 


9 


':^a^i^ 


Y^^ 


/O 


PRICE,    25   CENTS. 


THE  CRIMES 


^ 


Latter  Day  Saints 


IN   UTAH. 


BY  A    MORMON    OF   1S31. 


A  Demand  for  a  Legislative  Oommission. 


A  BOOK  OF  HORRORS. 


SAN    FRANCISCO: 

A.  J.  Leary,  Printer  and  Publisher,  402-404  Sansome  Street. 

1884. 


^  u,  t 


Bancroft  Library 


INTRODUCTORY. 


When  it  became  known  to  certain  of  my  friends  that  I 
contemplated  writing  a  pamphlet  on  the  Mormon  Question, 
a  number  of  the  more  prominent  ones  expressed  themselves 
as  being  desirous  of  assisting  me  in  every  possible  manner, 
and  two  of  them — one  a  Senator,  and  the  other  a  Governor 
of  a  State — proffered  to  write  a  preface  to  the  work. 

I  intended  to  have  accepted  their  services,  as  I  knew  their 
endorsement  would  assist  me  very  materially  in  the  circula- 
tion of  my  story,  but  on  reading  the  action  of  the  "  Com- 
mittee on  Mormon  Polygamy ''  at  the  Cincinnati  Methodist 
Conference  in  October,  I  decided  to  adopt  it,  thinking  it  a 
fitting  prelude  to  the  startling  facts  which  the  succeeding 
pages  will  present  to  the  reader. 

Following  is  the  report : 

**  Mormonism  is  not  a  religion.  It  is  a  crime,  therefore  cannot  be 
entitled  to  protection  and  tolerance  under  the  laws  and  Constitution  of 
the  United  States  as  a  matter  of  conscience.  It  is  not  a  religious  super- 
stition, but  a  system  of  masked  sensuality,  and  hence  subversive  of 
every  principle  of  morality,  and  abhorrent  to  every  feeling  of  virtue.  It 
is  not  even  a  spiritual  delusion,  and  therefore  cannot  be  condoned  on 
the  ground  that  it  is  a  hallucination  or  innocent  mistake  in  prophecy.  It 
is  a  preconcerted  infernal  scheme,  partly  mercenary,  partly  political,  and 
chiefly  licentious.  It  was  originated  in  the  deepest  depravity,  and  is  fed 
by  three  motives — money,  power  and  lust.  It  aims  to  diffuse  itself  by 
pandering  to  the  lowest  depravities  of  human  nature.  When  this  cannot 
be  done  directly,  on  account  of  the  natural  revolts  of  instinctive  virtue 
to  the  monstrous  propositon  of  the  promiscuous  intercourse  of  the  sexes 
under  the  guise  of  marriage,  a  resort  is  had  to  deception  and  falsehood. 
They  take  advantage  of  the  ignorance,  poverty,  degradation  and  fanati- 
cism of  some  persons,  and  of  the  unsuspecting  credulity  of  unwary  youth. 
They  first  dupe  then  doom  their  victims.  It  is  romance  and  heaven  in 
representation  until  liberty,  virtue  and  respectabihty  are  lost ;  then  it  is 
slavery  and  debauch. 

When  the  so-called  multitudinous  wives  become  mothers,  the  finest  ^ 
property  in  human  nature  is  made  the  strongest  support  of  this  abomi- 
nation— the  property  of  maternal  affection.  Being  themselves  beguiled 
women,  disgraced,  and  having  entailed  that  disgrace  upon  their  off- 
spring, they  see  no  hope  of  respectability  for  their  children  but  by  mak- 
ing polygamy  respectable,  and  that  can  only  be  done  by  making  a 
plurality  of  wives  legal  and  illegitimate  children  legitimate.  As  this 
cannot  be  done  under  the  Constitution  and  laws  of  the  United  States,  a 
necessity  is  created  for  an  independent  sovereignty.     This  generates  the 


11  INTRODUCTORY. 

spirit  of  rebellion  and  prompts  Mormons  to  increase  their  numbers  and 
strength  by  importations,  illegitimate  births,  and  by  the  corruption  and 
bribery  of  politicians.  The  work  of  rotten  increase,  we  are  informed, 
is  going  on  with  alarming  rapidity.  The  wretched  plague  spot  is 
spreading  into  all  our  Territories  and  some  of  the  States.  By  conceal- 
ment and  perjury  they  evade  the  laws  and  defeat  the  Commission  pro- 
vided for  by  Congress  and  appointed  by  the  President,  to  arrest  the  evil. 
And  such  are  the  meshes,  the  slavery,  and  the  new  affections  and  inter- 
ests involved  in  the  progress  of  the  system,  that  few  defections  from 
Mormonism  occur,  and  still  fewer  converts  to  Christianity  are  made  from 
their  number.  It  is  already  so  rooted  in  the  soil,  the  politics,  the  family 
life,  and  the  religious  fanaticism  of  that  part  of  the  country,  that  nothing 
but  prompt  and  extreme  measures  will  eradicate  the  evil.  And  unless 
the  Government  shall  immediately  take  decisive  steps  to  exterminate 
the  abomination,  it  will  soon  acquire  such  dimensions  and  potency  as  to 
render  it  impossible  to  remove  the  evil  by  legislation,  or  any  civil 
measures.  Indeed,  it  is  the  belief  of  some  well-informed  men  now,  that 
this  dreadful  ulcer  can  only  be  removed  by  a  resort  to  arms.  We  may 
at  least  conclude  that  delay  in  the  application  of  civil  remedies  will  soon 
call  into  requisition  the  sacrifice  of  life  and  the  price  of  blood,  or  we 
must  submit  to  have  our  virgin  soil  permanently  stained  with  the  foulest 
system  of  corruption  and  depravity  that  ever  saw  the  light  in  a  civilized 
and  Christian  country. 

Now,  with  such  a  huge  evil  confronting  us,  what  is  being  done  to 
abate  the  nuisance  ?  Almost  nothing.  Ever  since  the  appointment  of 
the  Congressional  Commission  there  has  been  a  seeming  lull  in  our 
feelings  of  repugnance  to  the  great  sin,,  an  abatement  of  interest  in  the 
subject ;  shall  we  not  say  a  guilty  suspension  of  effort  for  its  abolition  ? 
We  have  gone  to  sleep  on  the  brink  of  a  volcano  !  We  seem  to  have 
settled  down,  and  seated  ourselves  to  breathe  in  the  marlaria  of  Mor- 
monism for  indefinite  years.  While  Mormon  agents  are  exploring  the 
worst  places  of  the  Old  World,  and  the  dark  places  of  our  own  land,  and 
recruiting  their  deluded  forces  by  hundreds  every  month,  we  relax 
energy  and  dismiss  the  subject.  While  Mormons  are  breathing  the 
errors  of  their  system  into  the  heart  of  society,  we  come  to  the  discussion 
of  the  subject  ^nth  lassitude  and  feeble  convictions.  Mormon  polygamy 
was  dropped  out  of  the  list  of  standing  committees  this  year,  and  when 
a  committee  was  extemporized  as  an  afterthought,  we  fear  it  was  with 
no  deep  and  stirring  solicitude  in  relation  to  an  evil  which  has  been  a 
standing  menace  to  the  purity  of  society  for  fifty  years. 

Unless  we  awake  and  bestir  ourselves,  it  is  our  conviction  that  the 
children  who  are  now  born  will  pay  the  pdce  of  our  apathy  with  their 
blood  and  life.  We  know  that  preparations  are  now  being  made  to 
educate  Mormon  children,  and  thus  to  alienate  them  from  the  dissolute- 
ness of  the  system.  In  this  we  rejoice.  We  would  educate  Mormons, 
Mohammedans  and  heathens,  under  Christian  influences  if  we  could. 

Now,  what  is  the  duty  of  the  Church  and  State,  the  Christian  and  the 
citizen?  It  is  to  agitate  and  diffuse  intelligence,  to  quicken  the  national 
science,  to  rouse  the  Churches  to  combine  all  civil  and  religious  forces 
against  the  stupendous  wrongs,  and  never  relax  our  efforts  until  its  ex- 
tirpation from  the  land,  root  and  branch,  shall  be  secured. 


INTRODUCTORY.  Ill 

Coinciding  with  Daniel  Webster  in  the  statement,  that  the  first  step 
toward  the  removal  of  any  evil  is  to  expose  it,  we  offer  the  following 
proposition  for  adoption  : 

Resolved,  That  Mormonism  threatens  the  morality,  peace,  virtue  and 
integrity  of  the  state. 

Resolved,  That  Mormonism  is  violative  of  every  instinct  of  virtue,  and 
incompatible  with  every  principle  of  the  Christian  religion. 

Resolved,  That  a  solemn  and  imperative  obligation  rests  upon  all 
churches  and  citizens  to  labor  vigorously  and  incessantly  to  remove  this 
cancer  from  the  body  politic  and  social. 

Resolved,  That  a  committee  of  six  be  appointed,  composed  of  minis- 
ters and  laymen,  with  headquarters  in  Cincinnati,  whose  duty  it  shall  be 
to  correspond  with  officers  of  the  Government  and  other  parties,  to  col- 
lect facts  and  intelligence,  and  disseminate  the  same;  to  draft,  circulate, 
and  forward  to  Congress  petitions  against  Mormon  polygamy,  and  in 
favor  of  such  measures  towards  its  abolition  as  the  changing  exigencies 
of  the  case  from  time  to  time  may  require ;  and  if  expenses  shall  be  in- 
curred, to  have  contributions  solicited  from  individuals  and  churches  to 
meet  the  same. 

A.  LowRY,  Ch'n  and  Sec'y, 
S.  Bennett, 

B.    F.    DiMMICK, 

R.  H.  Rust, 

J.    F.   CONREY, 

A.  U.  Reall, 
H.  D.  Rice. 

Comniitteey 


Digitized  by  the  Internet  Archive 

in  2007  with  funding  from 

IVIicrosoft  Corporation 


http://www.archive.org/details/cwmesoflatterdaOOmormrich 


The  Crime?  of  iliE  Latter  Da^  ^aiqt? 


IIST"    TTT-A-H- 


BY  A  MORMON  OF   1831. 


CHAPTER  I. 


Introduction.  Polygamy  in  England.  The  honor  of  the 
Church.  Elder  McCuUo  accepts  feminine  hospitality. 
Silent  as  the  grave. 


Prudential  reasons,  which  during  the  course  of  this  narra- 
tive will  be  partially  explained,  suggest  the  advisability  of 
giving  to  this  brief  outline  of  facts  a  general,  rather  than  a 
detailed  method  of  exposition.  All  who  have  at  any  period 
of  their  lives  had  occasion  to  differ  with  a  society,  whether 
religious  or  political,  can  easily  comprehend,  to  some  extent, 
the  consequences  of  a  too  vigorous,  and  especially  too  per- 
sonal an  onslaught  upon  the  representatives  of  the  institu- 
tion exposed  for  criticism. 

The  terrible  results  attendant  upon  the  exposure  of  the 
secret  doings  of  any  criminal  organization  are  often  exhibited 
even  in  these  enlightened  times,  and  whenever,  in  the  inter- 
est of  great  enterprises,  the  life  of  a  man  (and  that  ifean  one 
who  has  made  himself  obnoxious  by  betraying  the  secrets  of 
his  fellow  conspirators)  appears  to  be  a  stumbling-block ;  it 
is  brushed  out  of  existence  as  we  dispose  of  an  offending  fly. 

Notwithstanding  the  burden  of  guilt  which  necessarily 
hangs  oppressively  upon  me,  I  have  not  yet  lost  all  interest 
in  life,  and  therefore  I  shall,  while  endeavoring  to  throw  a 
full  and  clear  light  upon  the  affairs  which  form  the  subject 
of  this  little  messenger,  ensconce  myself  as  much  as  possible, 
for  the  present,  behind  the  shadows  of  obscurity. 

The  doings  of  the  Mormons  while  in  the  States  of  Illinois 
and  Missouri,  I  shall  briefly  pass  over,  as  well  as  my  experi- 
ences with  them  in  different  parts  of  Europe  and  elsewhere; 


2  THE   CRIMES   OF   THE 

but  I  must  remark  that  wherever  they  have  at  any  time  been 
congregated  to  any  considerable  extent  numerically,  they 
have  always  committed  a  series  of  outrages  upon  their  neigh- 
bors which  resulted  in  a  final  outbreak. 

In  England  and  other  European  countries  it  was  a  very 
remarkable  thing  for  any  traveling  elder  to  start  for  "  Zion," 
as  the  house  of  the  Mormons  in  Utah  is  called,  without 
leaving  two  or  three  illegitimate  children  behind,  as  evidences 
of  his  interest  in  "  building  up  the  kingdom."  Quite  often 
the  mothers  of  these  unfortunates  at  some  future  period. be- 
came the  polygamous  wives  of  the  father  of  their  offspring, 
or  were  afterwards  attached  to  some  other  church  dignitary 
who  had  accepted  of  their  "  hospitality,"  as  the  elders 
termed  it. 

Of  598  elders  in  England  alone,  only  seven,  so  far  as 
could  be  ascertained,  escaped  the  responsibilities  attendant 
upon  the  promiscuous  commingling  with  "the  sisters"  in 
Babylon. 

Hundreds  of  cases — in  fact,  nearly  all  of  them — were 
kept  from  the  public  eye  and  ear,  through  the  instrumen- 
tality of  the  leading  elders,  who  were,  by  their  extended  ex- 
perience in  such  matters,  especially  fitted  for  that  purpose. 
The  "honor  of  the  Church"  was  held  in  such  high  esteem, 
that  at  no  matter  what  cost,  it  was  always  considered  the 
duty  of  every  member  to  cover  scandal.  As  a  consequence, 
human  life  in  embryotic  condition  was  recklessly  sacrificed 
in  many,  many  instances. 

One  case  only  I  will  cite  as  a  fair  example  of  many  hun- 
dreds somewhat  similar.  The  names  are  of  course  fictitious, 
but  the  incidents  are  told  with  all .  the  accuracy  with  which 
an  unusually  vivid  memory  now  pictures  them. 

James  McCullo  was  a  prominent  preacher  in  the  valleys 
of  Utah,  and  having  made  himself  useful  in  many  ways,  he 
had  been  rewarded  with  four  wives,  and  was  fast  rising  to 
greater  eminence  in  the  Church  through  his  devotion  to  the 
leaders,  whose  behests  he  took  especial  pride  in  obeying. 

On  a  certain  occasion  a  young  man  had  changed  his  views 
in  regard  to  Mormonism,  and  having  left  the  Church,  McCullo 
took  upon  himself  the  task  of  killing  the  young  man  to  "save 
his  soul." 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  3 

Accordingly,  one  morning,  he  invited  the  young  apostate 
to  join  in  a  hunt  after  some  stock  which  had  strayed,  and 
as  soon  as  the  pair  had  reached  the  mountains,  McCullo  de- 
liberately fell  upon  his  victim  and  "  cut  his  throat  from  ear 
to  ear." 

The  young  man  was  missed  in  a  few  days,  but  as  McCullo 
had  industriously  circulated  the  story  that  he  had  "been 
called  on  a  mission,"  but  little  further  interest  was  taken  in 
the  fate  of  young  Hodge,  who  had  no  relatives  but  an  aged 
and  paralyzed  mother,  who  never  realized  her  loss. 

For  some  reason  or  other,  McCullo  began  to  feel  unsafe, 
and  he  was  called  to  England  to  ''  preach  the  gospel "  while 
the  affair  blew  over. 

One  of  his  exploits  among  the  sisters  in  England  I  will 
now  relate. 

Immediately  upon  his  arrival,  he  was  ushered  into  an  es- 
tablishment in  one  of  the  large  towns,  known  as  the  "  Con- 
ference House."  The  house  was  the  home  of  one  of  the 
members  of  the  Mormon  Church,  who  happened  to  be  in 
somewhat  better  circumstances  than  the  average  Mormon, 
and  accordingly  the  mistress  of  the  establishment  felt  herself 
highly  honored  in  being  able  to  extend  the  comforts  of  a 
home  to  Elder  McCullo  from  Zion.  But  a  few  days  had 
elapsed  before  the  preacher  had  become  very  intimate  with 
a  daughter  of  the  family,  and  she  was  at  once  the  envy  and 
admiration  of  the  "branch"  of  the  Church  of  w^hich  she  was 
a  member.  Miss  Burgis  accompanied  Brother  McCullo  to 
all  the  meetings,  and  once  or  twice  had  made  trips  with  him 
into  the  little  villages  adjoining,  on  some  occasions  not  re- 
turning for  several  days. 

Mrs.  Burgis  was  delighted  at  the  attentions  shown  her 
daughter  by  the  affable  McCullo,  and  all  went  smoothly  and 
pleasantly,  until  on  one  of  the  occasions  when  her  daughter 
had  been  "visiting  the  country  saints"  with  the  Elder,  news 
reached  Mrs.  Burgis  that  her  daughter  was  quite  ill  at  the 
house  of  one  of  the  Mormon  families,  some  twenty  miles 
distant. 

Mrs.  Burgis  at  once  started  to  her  daughter's  assistance, 
and  taking  a  short  cut  across  the  country,  met,  while  driving 
rapidly  along,  a  female  doctor,  who  was  an  old  acquaintance 
of  the  family.     Woman-like,  they  stopped  to  chat  awhile, 


4  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

and  before  Mrs.  Burgis  could  tell  her  reasons  for  being 
there,  the  garrulous  old  doctress  had  informed  lier  that  she 
had  just  waited  upon  a  young  girl  who  had  got  into  trouble, 
and  through  grief  or  other  causes,  had  brought  on  a  prema- 
ture birth.  Said  the  old  woman  :  "  The  funniest  thing  about 
it  was,  that  the  man  and  woman  in  whose  care  the  young 
woman  seemed  to  be,  wouldn't  let  me  see  her  face ;  and 
although  they  assured  me  that  her  husband  would  soon  be 
home,  I  felt  quite  sure  there  was  no  husband  to  come  home." 

After  a  few  details  in  answer  to  the  anxious  inquiries  of 
Mrs.  Burgis,  the  old  woman  described  the  house,  and  said 
that  she  would  be  glad  to  know  who  the  parties  were,  but  as 
they  had  paid  her  well,  it  was  perhaps  none  of  her  business. 

Mrs.  Burgis  drove  rapidly  on,  and  soon  reached  the  house 
of  Brother  Hawkin,  and  was  astounded  when  she  discovered 
that  it  answered  the  description  given  by  the  old  midwife. 
No  sooner  had  she  reached  the  front  door,  than  Brother 
McCullo  rushed  out  to  meet  her,  and  observing  her  excite- 
ment, at  once  divined  that  she  had  heard  of  her  daughter's 
illness. 

He  began  to  assure  her  that  the  sickness  was  but  slight, 
and  told  her  that  the  doctor  had  particularly  recommended 
quietness  and  freedom  from  all  excitement.  On  that  ac- 
count he  begged  her  not  to  see  her  daughter  until  late  in 
the  day,  when  her  nerves  would  be  less  unstrung,  and  the 
pleasure  of  meeting  would  be  less  likely  to  produce  ill  results. 

Mrs.  Burgis  expressed  her  determination  to  see  her  daugh- 
ter immediately,  and  the  Elder,  finding  her  uncontrollable, 
begged  permission  to  step  into  the  room  and  "break  the 
news  "  of  her  arrival. 

This  was  of  course  granted,  and  in 'a  minute  or  two  the 
Elder  came  to  the  door  and  beckoned  the  mother  to  enter. 
The  meeting  was  a  sad  one.  Mrs.  Burgis,  under  the  influ- 
ence of  the  excitement  and  the  magnetism  of  the  talkative 
Elder,  had  for  a  moment  forgotten  the  circumstances  related 
by  the  doctress,  and  when  both  her  daughter  and  the  Elder 
assured  her  that  the  doctor  had  pronounced  it  an  "  intermit- 
tent fever,"  the  mother  was  somewhat  more  calm. 

McCullo  coaxed  Mrs.  Burgis  out  of  the  room  as  soon  as 
possible,  so  that  his  patient  could  take  a  litde  sleep,  and 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  5 

returning  to  the  sitting-room,  the  Elder  persuaded  her  to 
take  a  cup  of  tea. 

Mrs.  Hawkin  came  into  the  room,  and  upon  being  intro- 
duced to  Mrs.  Burgis,  soon  made  her  visitor  feel  at  home, 
and  as  Mrs.  Burgis  was  compelled  to  return  home  that  night, 
she  might  have  left  in  the  full  belief  of  "  intermittent  fever,'' 
but  for  the  fact  that  Mrs.  Hawkin,  in. the  momentary  absence 
of  the  Elder,  let  fall  a  sympathizing  remark,  such  as  women 
will  under  similar  circumstances. 

Mrs.  Burgis  was  at  once  aroused,  and  rushing  into  the 
bedroom  of  her  daughter,  soon  satisfied  herself  that  she  was 
none  other  than  the  patient  whose  face  cpuld  not  be  seen  by 
the  old  doctress. 

For  the  next  few  minutes  the  house  was  a  scene  of  dire 
confusion.  Mrs.  Hawkin  endeavored  to  explain,  and  in  a 
few  minutes  won  over  the  sympathizing  mother,  whose  rage 
toward  her  daughter  and  her  seducer  seemed  intensified  by 
this  womanly  sympathy. 

Mrs.  Burgis  could  not  believe  that  McCullo  was  guilty  of 
such  an  outrage,  and  calling  him  aside,  she  urged  him  to  tell 
her  all  he  knew  of  the  matter. 

He  told  her  that  he  was  astonished  when  he  discovered 
the  real  cause  of  her  daughter's  sickness,  she  having  told 
him  that  she  had  caught  a  severe  cold. 

He  had  brought  her,  he  said,  to  the  care  of  Sister  Haw- 
kin, who  was  doing  everything  she  could  to  hush  up  the 
scandal,  for  the  sake  of  the  family  and  the  "Church  of  God." 

In  answer  to  the  expressed  desire  to  become  acquainted 
with  the  seducer,  he  told  her  that  no  matter  who  it  was,  it 
would  undoubtedly  be  better,  for  her  sake  and  her  daugh- 
ter's reputation,  as  well  as  the  honor  of  the  Church,  to  keep 
the  matter  perfectly  quiet. 

He  spoke  of  the  wickedness  of  the  world,  and  deplored 
the  immorahty  of  the  young  people  of  England,  who,  he 
said,  were  doomed  to  destruction,  but  for  the  saving  grace 
of  the  Church. 

The  mother  wept,  and  at  last,  calming  herself  somewhat, 
she  entered  the  chamber,  and  commenced  a  conversation 
with  her  daughter,  who  finally  expressed  that  Elder  McCullo 
had  caused  her  trouble. 


6  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

With  hesitation,  the  injured  mother  demanded  his  pres- 
ence in  the  room,  and  although  the  young  girl  continued  to 
assert  their  criminal  intercourse,  he  denied  it  stoutly,  and 
conjured  her  to  remember  that  she  was  accusing,  and  per- 
haps ruining,  an  "  elder  in  Israel "  and  a  holy  one  in  Zion. 

After  much  tribulation,  it  was  finally  decided  that  no  mat- 
ter what  the  facts  were,  the  affair  must  be  kept  "silent  as  the 
grave,"  and  it  was,  with  the  exception  of  the  fact  that  a  lim- 
ited few,  among  whom  was  the  writer,  knew  all  about  it. 


CHAPTER   II. 

The  Mormons  in  Nauvoo.     Their  strange  doings.     The 
influence  of  unity.     The  fatal  priesthood  meeting. 


The  Mormons  in  Nauvoo  and  other  places  in  Illinois  were 
a  constant  menace  to  their  neighbors,  and  as  a  consequence, 
many  collisions  occurred,  which,  being  of  a  trifling  character, 
are  now  almost  forgotten.  Among  the  many  causes  of  trou- 
ble, was  the  constant  disposition  manifested  by  the  leading 
Mormons  to  ensnare  the  wives  and  daughters  of  the  people 
who  lived  near  them,  who  were  not  of  their  faith. 

Hundreds  of  happy  homes  have  these  lecherous  old  priests 
broken  up,  and  thousands  of  women  are  to-day  in  their 
graves,  or  enduring  lives  of  misery  and  degradation  of  the 
worst  possible  character,  through  the  diabolical  machinations 
of  men  who  professed  to  be  inspired  of  the  Almighty  God 
to  save  the  doubting  millions  of  this  dispensation. 

Thousands  of  preachers  like  McCullo  have  been  sent  to 
the  various  nations  of  the  earth,  and  everywhere  have  they 
left  traces  of  their  unhallowed  presence  in  wrecked  homes, 
broken  hearts  and  desecrated  virtue. 

The  low  and  bestial  character  of  the  religion  which  they 
accept,  and  the  utter  lack  of  anything  like  intellectual  or 
progressive  qualities  in  the  leaders,  have  naturally  brought 
the  people  below  the  level  of  brutes  in  many  respects,  be- 
cause, instead  of  elevating  them  and  training  their  minds  in 
a  holy  and  pure  love  of  virtue,  they  have  wallowed  in  sensu- 
ality and  waded  in  the  blood  of  their  victims. 

Man  is  low  and  degraded  enough,  as  we  are  well  aware, 
and  religion  is  supposed  to  fight  against  the  natural  down- 


LATTER   DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  7 

ward  tendency  of  his  animal  propensities,  but  here  is  one 
which  puts  a  premium  upon  lust,  and  crowns  the  most  de- 
graded sensualist  by  elevating  him  to  the  highest  heaven  of 
bliss. 

Mormonism  casts  a  glamour  of  animality  over  the  holiest 
and  purest  aspirations  of  the  human  heart.  It  glosses  seduc- 
tion, rapine  and  murder  with  the  gilded  glare  of  revelation, 
and  rewards  the  lecher  and  assassin  at  the  expense  of  the 
less  prominent,  because  less  guilty,  members  of  the  Church. 

"  The  martyred  saints,"  of  which  the  world  hears  so  much, 
were  no  more  nor  less  than  victims  of  lynch  law,  which 
would  have  been  dealt  out  to  them  in  any  civilized  portion 
of  the  world.  Not  one  can  be  named  who  did  not,  though 
killed  in  an  offensive  manner,  perhaps,  merit  the  very  pun- 
ishment dealt  out  to  them  by  the  outraged  American  people, 
who  could  endure  their  rottenness  no  longer. 

Among  the  many  causes  for  complaint  on  the  part  of  the 
non-Mormon  element  surrounding  the  communities  of  this 
"  peculiar  people,"  was  the  stealing  of  children  by  the  Mor- 
mons, who  seemed  to  look  upon  it  as  right  and  proper  that 
they  should  thus  secure  the  offspring  of  the  "hated  gentile," 
and  cause  them  to  toil  toward  the  upbuilding  of  "  the  king- 
dom of  God  in  the  latter  days." 

Dozens  of  little  darlings  were  thus  torn  from  the  loving 
hearts  of  their  intelligent  parents,  and  made  to  slave  and 
wear  their  lives  away  under  the  brutal  overseership  of  lech- 
erous old  Mormons,  who  thus  added  to  their  working  force 
by  "weakening  their  enemies." 

Whenever  these  children  were  by  any  accident  discovered, 
they  were  always  returned  to  the  distracted  parents  with 
profuse  apologies  and  explanations,  but  many  never  reached 
their  loved  homes  again,  and  some  of  them  are  now  quite 
prominent  among  the  Utah  Mormons,  knowing  nothing  of 
their  origin,  yet  bearing  evidence  of  superior  parentage. 

Outrages  of  this  kind  were  very  common,  and  it  is  but 
natural  that  an  intense  bitterness  grew  up  in  the  minds  of 
the  people  against  them. 

In  addition  to  these  villainies,  thousands  of  horses  and 
cattle  were  stolen  and  appropriated  to  the  use  and  benefit  of 
the  Mormon  Church.  Whenever  it  became  known  that  one 
or  more  of  "the  brethren"  had  "secured"  some  of  the 


8  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

property  of  the  "gentiles,"  it  was  immediately  demanded 
by  the  heads  of  the  Church  that  one-tenth  of  the  amount 
be  turned  over  to  the  Church  as  '*  Tithing,"  to  be  appropri- 
ated for  the  building  of  temples  and  the  general  uses  of  the 
leaders. 

Houses  were  robbed,  banks  burglarized  and  men  mur- 
dered by  the  Mormons,  who  worked  together  in  gangs,  which 
were  usually  led  by  the  ''  missionary  "  assigned  to  that  par- 
ticular district  perhaps  months  previously,  ostensibly  "for 
the  salvation  of  men,"  but  really  for  the  "milking  of  the 
gentiles." 

Working  together  under  the  terrible  oaths  imposed  upon 
them  in  the  "Temple,"  and  being  bound  in  a  mutuality  of 
interests  in  a  material  sense,  the  ease  and  facility  with  which 
they  could  plan  an  outrage  of  any  character,  and  carry  it  to 
any  desired  conclusion,  are  not  surprising. 

Successful  in  nearly  every  undertaking,  no  matter  how 
seemingly  hazardous,  they  naturally  became  emboldened  to 
a  degree  entirely  beyond  the  conception  of  any  person  not 
accustomed  to  the  wonderful  powers  of  organized  effort, 
whether  for  good  or  evil. 

Thus  they  were  enabled  at  any  time  to  put  in  motion  an 
undertaking  by  which  an  official,  even  in  a  distant  State, 
should  be  assured  of  election,  or  that  the  Governor  of  Illi- 
nois or  Missouri  should  be  assassinated,  and  all  the  time 
keep  themselves  so  securely  hidden  that  none  could  point 
out  the  slightest  evidence  to  their  detriment. 

Plot  after  plot  was  laid  and  carried  into  execution,  and 
the  results  to-day  affect  the  National  interests  in  directions 
which  never  suggest  the  slightest  connection  with  Mormon 
interests. 

More  than  one  leading  politician,  to  the  certain  knowledge 
of  the  writer,  had  died  "a  natural  death"  by  the  unnatural 
means  resorted  to  by  this  Church,  which  is  to-day  the  greatest 
blot  upon  American  institutions. 

During  the  warfare  between  the  Mormons  and  the  pro- 
gressive people  of  the  States  which  had  been  cursed  by  their 
presence,  one  of  the  leaders  in  a  secret  "  Priesthood  Meet- 
ing" at  which  I  was  present,  declared  that  he  would  be 
revenged  for  the  losses  he  had  sustained  by  the  persecution 
of  "  the  enemies  of  the  Mormon  people,"  whether  any  else 


LATTER  DAY  SAINTS  IN  UTAH.  9 

would  or  not.  He  proposed  the  assassination  of  certain 
leading  men — Senators,  Governors  and  Judges — whose  ac- 
tions had  been  inimical  to  the  best  interests  of  Mormonism; 
and  at  once  the  thought  spread  like  wildfire. 

The  entire  assembly  were  then  and  there  pledged  to  pro- 
found secresy,  and  for  the  purpose  of  more  thoroughly 
cementing  the  bond  of  criminal  participation,  each  and  every 
one  of  us  was  sworn  to  "dispose  of"  at  least  one,  and  that 
one  was  specified  by  name. 

The  one  selected  for  me  I  sought,  found  and  did  as  I  was 
instructed  to  do.  His  ashes  have  long  since  returned  to 
mother  earth,  but  his  name  and  my  act  will  never  die  while 
my  reason  exists. 

Alas !  How  I  regret  that  act ;  but  how  powerless  to  atone 
for  it ! 

My  victim  was  a  man  who,  but  for  the  order  going  out 
against  him  by  the  heads  of  the  Mormon  Church,  would  in 
all  probability  have  reached  the  Presidential  Chair,  and 
wielded  an  influence  for  which  his  wonderful  mind  and  bril- 
liant attainments  had  specially  qualified  him. 

When  I  allow  myself  to  ponder  over  this  deed — and  often 
the  melancholy  comes  uninvited  and  at  unpropitious  hours — 
it  seems  that  Hell  itself  would  be  a  relief  to  the  dreadful 
remorse  endured  by  me. 

How  I  pray  to  God  !  How  it  seems  that  He  mocks  me  ! 
Oh !  the  horrors  of  a  guilty  conscience  ! 

Others  equally  brilliant  and  important  in  a  political  sense, 
have  long  since  met  their  fate  at  the  hands  of  "the  brethren" 
present  at  that  fatal  "  Priesthood  Meeting." 

More  than  one  of  the  victims  selected  on  that  occasion 
was  a  woman,  and  as  the  Mormons  have  ever  held  in  special 
horror  any  woman  who  raises  her  voice  against  them,  it  was 
agreed  that  the  penalty  should  be  unusually  severe. 

By  unanimous  vote  it  was  agreed  that  one,  whose  name 
shall  be  Elijah ' Parkins,  should  carry  out  "the  sentence  of 
death  against  her  accordingly  with  his  best  judgment." 

About  a  year  afterwards  I  learned  of  the  death  of  this 
lady,  and  by  seeking  in  the  right  channel,  I  learned  the  de- 
tails of  her  taking  off. 

Without  endeavoring  to  give  every  incident  in  connection 
with  this  horrible  affair,  it  is  perhaps  sufficient  to  say  that 


lO  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

Parkins  commenced  his  persecution  by  disguising  himself  as 
a  negro,  and  after  several  unsuccessful  attempts,  he  accom- 
plished the  outrage  of  her  only  daughter,  a  lovely  young 
lady,  who  was  the  pride  and  joy  of  her  refined  and  accom- 
plished mother.  The  blow  was  a  most  cruel  one,  as  it  pros- 
trated the  family  and  almost  broke  the  heart  of  the  mother, 
at  whom  the  injury  was  aimed,  although  it  must  be  admitted 
that  the  coarse  and  brutal  nature  of  Parkins  was  delighted 
by  his  devilish  method  of  torturing  his  victim. 

He  continued  to  pierce  the  soul  of  this  unsuspecting 
woman  by  every  heartless  story  which  he  could  invent,  and 
particularly  in  regard  to  the  disgrace  attendant  upon  the 
unfortunate  daughter.  He  so  industriously  propagated  the 
story  that  she  met  the  negro  by  her  own  appointment,  that 
many  people  lost  sympathy  for  her,  and  began  to  believe 
that  the  young  girl  was  naturally  depraved. 

This  and  kindred  horrible  stories  kept  the  poor  mother  in 
constant  agitation,  and  in  addition  to  this  refinement  of 
cruelty,  he  on  several  occasions  set  fire  to  the  barns  and 
outhouses  of  the  establishment,  and  by  many  infernal  con- 
trivances kept  up  such  an  excitement  in  the  mind  of  his 
victim  as  to  render  her  mentally  unsound. 

Finally,  he  hired  two  stalwart  negroes,  who  for  a  long  time 
had  been  the  terror  of  the  neighborhood,  and  instructed 
them  to  fire  the  house  at  a  given  signal,  and  without  the 
least  compunction  of  conscience,  he  had  arranged  to  burn 
both  mother  and  daughter. 

On  the  night  selected,  the  negroes  commenced  their 
fiendish  work,  and  in  a  short  time  the  entire  premises  wxre 
reduced  to  ashes,  and  the  bodies  of  the  unfortunate  ladies 
were  mere  unrecognizable  cinders. 

The  negroes,  it  seems,  had  secured  a  considerable  amount 
of  money,  and  as  they  ran  away  from  the  blazing  pile,  they 
passed  the  hiding-place  of  Parkins,  who  had  secreted  him- 
self close  to  the  scene  of  action,  and  in  their  excitement  they 
mentioned  their  good  luck. 

After  thinking  it  over  for  a  few  minutes.  Parkins  procured 
one  or  two  of  his  particular  Mormon  friends,  and  pursuing 
them  immediately,  they  shot  down  the  fugitives,  and  while 
the  excitement  was  at  its  height.  Parkins  secured  the  money, 
and  afterwards  won  great  honor  by  "  prompt  and  efficient 


LATTER   DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  II 

pursuit  and  capture  of  the  black  villains,"  as  the  prints  of 
the  times  expressed  it. 


CHAPTER   III. 

Across  the  plains.     By  the  Indians.    Buried  in  the  sand. 
That  arrow.     The  convenient  viper.     Lack  of  blankets. 


The  punishment  inflicted  upon  the  Mormon  people,  which 
culminated  in  their  departure  to  the  Rocky  Mountains,  inten- 
sified their  hatred  to  a  fearful  degree,  and  as  a  consequence, 
every  conceivable  opportunity  for  wreaking  vengeance  upon 
a  gentile  was  eagerly  sought  after. 

During  their  passage  towards  and  over  the  great  plains, 
they  seemed  to  imagine  every  one  had  done  them  some 
great  injury,  and  in  any  case  where  a  gentile  fell  into  their 
hands,  his  life  paid  the  penalty. 

Some  of  their  outrages  were  of  a  peculiarly  atrocious 
character,  inspired,  as  they  were,  by  a  mere  Thuggism ;  an 
unadulterated  cruelty,  inspiring  a  desire  to  vent  their  spleen 
upon  somebody — anybody. 

It  sounds  incredible  to  say  that  during  their  exodus,  the 
Mormons  murdered  hundreds  of  people,  who  in  those  times 
had  to  make  long  and  lonely  trips  from  one  centre  of  pop- 
ulation to  another,  through  very  sparsely  settled  regions  of 
country. 

Sometimes  they  managed  to  make  their  assassinations 
profitable,  as  it  not  infrequently  happened  that  these  lonely 
wanderers  were  in  possession  of  horses  or  other  valuables — 
sometimes  even  money  in  considerable  quantities — and 
these  were  generally  appropriated  to  the  replenishing  of  the 
Lord's  Treasury. 

One  of  the  more  striking  examples  of  this  tendency  to 
assassinate  all  who  were  not  members  of  their  Church, 
whenever  convenient,  occurs  to  me  at  this  moment. 

On  a  certain  occasion,  when  a  party  of  Mormon  emigrants 
were  passing  along,  they  discovered  that  a  little  group  of  five 
young  men  and  two  young  women,  one  the  wife  of  one  of 
the  party,  and  the  other  the  sister  of  the  lady,  had  encamped 
closely  in  the  rear  of  the  Mormon  caravan  for  two  or  three 
successive  evenings. 
2 


12  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

Rumors  began  to  spread  regarding  this  party,  and  one  of 
the  rough  riders  of  the  train  was  deputized  to  ascertain  their 
business,  and  to  report  to  the  authorities  immediately. 

His  statement,  on  his  return,  was  to  the  effect  that  they 
had  evaded  his  investigation,  and  about  all  he  could  find  out 
was  that  they  were  "going  West,"  and  that  the  name  of  one 
of  the  party  was  Williams. 

The  council  which  was  called  to  consider  the  matter  de- 
cided that  their  actions  were  suspicious,  and  when  the  name 
of  the  one  member  of  the  party  was  mentioned,  their  fate 
was  sealed,  as  it  was  at  once  recognized  as  that  of  one  of 
the  "mobocrats,"  who  had  assisted  in  driving  them  from 
their  homes. 

Accordingly,  with  the  orders  of  the  captain  of  the  train, 
who  was  also,  of  course,  a  high  Church  dignitary,  a  party  of 
ten  men  of  the  train  prepared  to  disguise  themselves  as 
Indians,  and  at  midnight  a  raid  was  made  upon  the  two 
wagons,  and  none  of  the  party  was  left  alive. 

In  the  morning  the  rough  rider  discovered  the  bodies  of 
the  victims  of  the  Indian  outbreak,  and  immediately  the 
captain  called  all  the  men,  women  and  children  of  the  train 
together  to  return  thanks  to  the  Almighty  for  His  kind  pro- 
tection during  the  past  night,  which  had  been  so  full  of 
horrors,  while  they  had  "slept  the  sleep  of  the  innocent." 

The  effects  of  the  little  party  were  taken  in  charge  by  the 
captain  of  the  Mormon  train,  and  after  burying  the  bodies 
and  erecting  a  wooden  slab,  with  the  words,  "  five  unknown 
people ;  murdered  by  Indians,"  they  passed  on  toward  the 
Rocky  Mountains. 

This  was  about  the  first  instance  of  the  Mormons  attrib- 
uting their  deeds  to  the  Indians,  which  came  under  my  per- 
sonal observation.  Since  that  time  I  have  known  of  very 
many  similar  cases. 

Some  of  the  men  who  made  up  that  party  of  ten  "  Indi- 
ans "  are  to-day  prominent  members  of  the  Mormon  Church 
in  Salt  Lake  City  and  other  portions  of  Utah  Territory,  and 
in  passing  through  the  Territory,  on  my  way  to  my  home  in 
Iowa,  I  spoke  to  two  of  them,  and  called  their  attention  to 
'  the  incident. 

One  of  them  laughed  and  treated  it  as  a  trivial  matter, 
but  the  other  stoutly  denied  all  connection  with  the  affair. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  1 3 

Rolling  along  toward  "  Deseret,"  and  following  the  track 
made  by  "  The  Pioneers,"  the  train  to  which  I  refer  met 
with  a  number  of  mishaps,  and  it  so  happened  that  one  of 
the  most  important  Church  officers  in  the  train  was  very 
superstitious.  Observing  the  vast  number  of  minor  misfort- 
unes constantly  occurring,  he  declared  that  there  was  sl 
"  Jonah  in  the  train." 

One  day  he  told  a  few  of  the  higher  dignitaries  of  this 
discovery,  and  it  was  decided  to  rid  themselves  of  this  un- 
welcome presence. 

It  turned  out  that  the  '^  Jonah"  was  a  young  man  who 
had  on  several  occasions  failed  to  obey  the  orders  of  the 
captain  of  the  rain,  and  in  several  instances  he  had  made 
himself  objectionable,  through  remarks  he  had  made  in  re- 
gard to  the  disposition  of  the  property  of  the  Williams  party. 

The  next  morning  the  young  man  was  brought  into  camp 
with  an  Indian  arrow  in  his  side,  and  his  head  fearfully  mu- 
tilated with  a  scalping-knife. 

He  had  gone  out  as  usual  to  hunt  up  the  stock,  and  "  the 
Indians  "  had  killed  him.     Of  course. 

On  this  occasion  I  came  very  near  getting  into  difficulty 
myself,  through  making  an  unwise  remark  in  regard  to  the 
matter.  The  quick  glance  of  the  old  fellow  who  discovered 
the  *'  Jonah"  soon  put  me  on  my  guard,  and  I  deplored  the  In- 
dian outrage  as  loudly  as  any  other. 

The  incident  which  caused  my  ill-considered  remark  was 
this:  On  examining  the  arrow,  which  was  still  plunged  in 
the  heart  of  the  unfortunate  fellow,  I  saw  at  once  that  it  was 
one  of  a  lot  which  I  had  bought  of  an  Indian  only  a  few 
days  previously. 

On  the  day  prior  to  this  occurrence,  I  had  been  amusing 
myself  in  practising  shooting  after  the  Indian  fashion,  and 
for  the  purpose  of  distinguishing  a  particular  arrow  from  one 
shot  just  before  by  a  friend,  I  put  a  peculiar  notch  near  the 
feathers,  and  there  before  my  eyes  was  that  arrow. 

It  was  but  natural  that  I  should  give  an  involuntary  ex- 
clamation, but  being  checked  in  time,  I  saved  myself  from 
all  suspicion. 

On  the  first  opportunity  I  sought  my  wagon,  and  I  soon 
saw  that  the  bow  had  been  used,  and  that  particular  arrow 


14  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

was  gone,  leaving  only  ten  instead  of  eleven.  I  never  knew 
who  used  that  arrow,  but  I  had  some  very  strong  suspicions. 

As  we  journeyed  on,  some  two  or  three  others  of  the 
company  made  themselves  offensive  to  the  authorities,  and 
without  much  ado  they  were  disposed  of  in  some  convenient 
way.  One,  I  remember,  died  of  dysentery,  so  it  was  said,  but 
there  was  no  doubt  that  some  strychnine,  which  was  kept  for 
wolf  poison,  had  been  put  in  his  food. 

Another  fell  out  of  a  wagon  while  going  down  hill,  but  I 
remember  distinctly  that  there  was  a  plain  mark  on  the  back 
of  the  neck,  exactly  such  as  could  have  been  made  by  the 
heavy  whip  handle  carried  by  one  of  the  officers  of  the  train. 

A  third  was  a  woman,  who  had  given  her  husband  some 
trouble  on  account  of  his  attentions  to  a  young  girl  in  the 
train.  A  rattlesnake  was  found  in  her  wagon  one  night, 
while  her  husband  was  "out  on  guard  among  the  cattle." 

The  young  woman  whose  charms  had  captured  the  hus- 
band of  this  unfortunate  wife  was  but  little  shocked,  and 
even  the  tragic  fate  of  the  poor  woman  was  soon  forgotten 
by  both,  for  one  night  soon  afterwards  I  saw  them  both  in 
the  same  wagon,  with  apparently  no  fear  of  snakes. 

To  recount  the  many  immoral  and  lecherous  incidents 
brought  to  my  notice  during  my  trip  across  the  plains,  would 
be  indeed  a  labor,  and,  in  fact,  it  would  be  impossible  to  do 
so  in  a  work  intended  for  general  circulation,  as  the  most 
refined  language  would,  while  describing,  utterly  sicken  the 
reader. 

Suffice  it  to  say,  that  all  sense  of  decency  seemed  to  have 
been  abandoned,  and  all  seemed  to  have  surrendered  them- 
selves to  barbarism  to  correspond  with  the  savage  surroundings 
and  the  aboriginal  tribes,  with  whom  we  occasionally  came  in 
contact. 

Whenever  we  met  any  of  the  Indians,  it  was  always  the 
custom  to  treat  them  with  every  kindness.  We  made  them 
presents  of  beads,  red  flannel,  whisky,  corn  meal,  butcher 
knives,  etc.,  and  we  never  failed  to  impress  them  with  the 
fact  that  we  were  Mormons,  while  the  others  were  "bad 
Amerikats." 

We  made  friends  with  all  of  them,  and  we  found  it  often 
to  our  interest  so  to  do,  as  in  case  of  hostility,  we  were  only 
poorly  prepared  for  them. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  1 5 

While  on  the  road,  a  number  of  matches  had  been  made, 
and  arrangements  had  been  concluded  for  quite  a  number 
of  polygamous  marriages  as  soon  as  we  arrived  in  Salt  Lake 
City.      -^ 

At  this  time  I  had  but  one  wife,  but  it  had  been  agreed 
that  a  young  woman  in  whom  I  had  become  much  interested 
should  be  "sealed"  to  me  on  our  arrival.  As  I  have  no 
desire  to  say  much  about  myself,  I  will  state  that  this  young 
woman  became  my  second  wife,  and  in  all  I  married  five, 
ending  in  misery  to  myself  and  them. 

One  old  fellow  had  grown  so  familiar  with  three  young 
women  that  he  married  them  all  as  soon  as  he  reached  Zion. 
Besides  these  he  had  four  wives,  whom  he  had  left  in  Utah 
the  year  before  to  preach  to  the  "  lost  sheep  of  the  house  of 
Israel." 

We  reached  the  valley  late  in  the  Fall  of  the  year,  experi- 
encing some  cold  weather  while  passing  through  the  latter 
end  and  most  mountainous  part  of  our  journey. 

The  scarcity  of  blankets,  added  to  the  intensely  cold 
nights,  may  be  pleaded  as  an  excuse  for  the  extreme  inti- 
macy of  a  number  of  the  contracting  parties,  whose  mar- 
riages were  not  technically  consummated  until  their  arrival 
in  Utah,  although  in  the  eyes  of  nature,  and  pretty  plainly  to 
the  eyes  of  everybody  in  the  train,  they  w^ere  dona  fide  hus- 
bands and  wives. 


CHAPTER   IV. 

Cleansing  the  platter.     More  Indians.     My  financial 
start.     A  troublesome  wife.     How  she  was  disposed  of. 


Soon  after  my  arrival  in  Salt  Lake  City,  I,  with  a  few 
others,  started,  in  obedience  to  orders  from  headquarters,  to 
assist  in  "  cleansing  the  inside  of  the  platter,"  as  the  removal 
of  backsliding  members  was  sometimes  called. 

It  appears  that  in  a  distant  settlement  some  difficulty  had 
occurred  between  certain  members  of  the  Church,  and  when 
the  Bishop  had  ordered  them  to  make  peace,  a  few  of  them 
.resented  his  authority.  Now,  as  the  Bishop's  orders  were 
but  an  echo  from  the  head  of  the  Church  in  Salt  Lake  City, 
the  action  of  the  dissenters  was  considered  as  a  defiance  of 


1 6  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

the  priesthood,  and  as  it  had  always  been  the  policy  of  the 
leaders  to  nip  in  the  bud  all  apostate  influences,  it  was  in 
this  case  considered  necessary  to  make  an  example. 

One  of  our  party  was  the  bearer  of  dispatches  to  the. 
Bishop  and  other  authorities  of  that  section,  and  I  learned 
soon  afterwards  that  their  purport  was  a  demand  for  uncon- 
ditional surrender,  or  the  "  cutting  off,  root  and  branch,"  of 
the  offenders. 

We  delivered  the  message,  and  proceeded  to  a  little  town 
still  farther  on,  where  we  received  some  reports  from  the 
presiding  elder  regarding  a  matter  which  had  given  the 
Presidency  at  Salt  Lake  some  uneasiness,  and  then  we  re- 
turned to  await  advices  from  the  inharmonious  settlement. 

The  Bishop  reported  that  all  but  two  had  immediately 
complied  with  the  demand,  and  having  given  us  the  names 
of  these  men,  with  an  assurance  that  nothing  further  could 
be  done  with  them,  we  bade  him  good-by,  and  all  started 
from  the  settlement  in  view  of  all  the  people,  who  had  gath- 
ered to  see  the  elders  from  the  city. 

We  rode  a  few  miles,  and  then  camped  to  hold  a  consul- 
tation. We  had  received  our  orders  in  detail,  but  we  were 
forced  by  the  peculiar  circumstances  to  consider  well  the 
best  means  of  carrying  them  out. 

It  was  soon  arranged,  and  under  cover  of  darkness,  we 
returned  to  the  little  town  about  eleven  o'clock  that  night. 
I  had  been  deputed  to  let  down  the  bars  of  the  corral  be- 
longing to  the  fated  men,  and  as  they  lived  but  a  short  dis- 
tance apart,  it  was  readily  done. 

As  soon  as  the  stock  was  out,  we  began  yelling  like  In- 
dians, and  in  a  few  minutes  the  men  appeared. 

We  were  by  this  time  out  of  sight,  and  seeing  no  one 
around,  they  immediately  commenced  driving  the  cattle  into 
the  pens.  It  so  happened  that  the  horses  had  gone  a  con- 
siderable distance  up  a  neighboring  ravine,  and  as  soon  as 
the  men  discovered  their  loss,  they  started  afoot,  accompa- 
nied by  three  boys  about  ten  or  twelve  years  of  age,  in  search 
of  the  missing  animals. 

Learning  at  once  the  path  they  would  be  compelled  to 
take,  three  of  our  number  went  as  quickly  as  possible,  and 
secreted  onrselves  in  the  brush  about  twenty  rods  ahead  of 
them. 


LATTER  DAY  SAINTS  IN  UTAH.  1 7 

In  a  minute  or  so  they  came  along,  the  first  one  bearing 
a  lantern  with  a  flickering  candle,  which  threw  a  very  weak 
and  uncertain  light  on  his  path. 

It  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment  to  render  helpless  the 
two  men,  as  we  were  all  experts  with  the  lariat,  and  at  a 
given  signal  they  were  bound  with  thongs  from  which  there 
was  no  escape. 

One  of  the  boys,  at  the  moment  of  capture,  fired  a  pistol 
which  he  held  in  his  hand,  and  the  bullet,  after  striking  a 
limb  of  some  oak  brush,  glanced  into  my  left  arm,  and  it 
made  a  terrible  wound,  altogether  unlike  a  gunshot  wound 
though,  for  it  made  •  a  long  slit,  much  the  same  as  a  bowie 
knife  would  have  done. 

This  unexpected  occurrence  caused  a  change  in  our  pro- 
gramme, as  it  was  intended  to  drag  the  men  behind  our 
horses,  and  then  leave  them  in  some  secluded  spot.  The 
boy  had  dropped  his  pistol,  and  was,  with  the  others,  running 
for  dear  life,  yelling  at  intervals  "  Injins  ! "  "  Injins  ! " 

One  of  the  party  picked  up  the  pistol,  which  was  a  five- 
shooter,  and  placing  it  near  the  temple  of  the  nearer  one  ot 
the  two  men,  he  sent  a  bullet  through  the  brain. 

Enraged  with  the  pain,  I  seized  the  weapon  and  shot  the 
other  man  in  precisely  the  same  way. 

Not  a  word  had  been  spoken,  and  quietly  unwinding  our 
lariats,  we  mounted  our  horses  and  rode  away. 

Though  nearly  thirty  years  ago,  that  wound,  as  I  now  look 
at  it,  is  as  plain  as  when,  a  month  after  the  occurrence,  it 
had  healed  so  as  to  enable  me  to  remove  the  bandage. 

I  learned  by  the  reports  in  regard  to  the  affair,  that  the 
boy  was  a  son  of  the  man  who  fell  at  my  hands.  The  last 
I  heard  of  him,  he  was  a  successful  business  man  in  the 
northern  part  of  Idaho. 

Instead  of  returning  to  Salt  Lake  City  at  once,  I  remained 
in  one  of  the  settlements  about  twenty-five  miles  distant,  and 
it  was  reported  that  I  was  laid  up  with  rheumatism. 

When  I  reached  headquarters  I  was  congratulated,  as  the 
others  had  been,  and  a  fine  piece  of  landed  property  was 
put  at  my  disposal  at  such  a  low  price  that  I  accepted  it  at 
once  as  payment  for  my  services.  It  afterwards  netted  me 
several  thousand  dollars,  and  was  the  first  start  toward  my 
financial  prosperity  in  Utah. 


1 8  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

A  part  cf  that  property,  which  has  changed  hands  a  num« 
ber  of  times,  is  now  in  possession  of  Christian  teachers,  who 
are  working  for  the  enlightenment  of  the  barbarous  Mormon 
people. 

This  exploit  gave  me  prominence,  and  I  enjoyed  the  favor 
of  the  leaders  to  a  great  degree,  but  of  course  I  could  only 
retain  it  by  continuing  to  hold  myself  in  readiness  to  obey 
them  in  every  particular.  The  result  was  that  at  short  in- 
tervals I  was  called,  in  company  with  others,  and  not  infre- 
quently I  went  alone,  to  teach  some  unfaithful  brother  his 
duty. 

In  many  cases  the  displeasure  of  the  leaders  fell  upon  the 
sisters,  and  at  times  it  became  necessary  to  put  them  out  of 
the  way.  In  most  instances  of  this  kind,  the  husband  was 
an  interested  party,  and  quite  frequently  he  arranged  the 
plans  which  ended  in  freeing  him  from  the  inconvenience  of 
an  uncongenial  partner. 

All  that  was  necessary  for  a  speedy  riddance  of  a  wife  who 
had  lost  her  charms,  was  that  it  should  be  made  known  that 
she  had  expressed  herself  against  plurality  of  wives,  and  had 
refused  to  obey  the  orders  of  the  priesthood  set  to  preside 
over  that  district. 

When  a  woman  was  inclined  to  be  obstreperous  in  this 
regard,  and  her  husband  desired  to  protect  her,  of  course 
she  ran  comparatively  little  risk;  but  if  she  offended  him  and 
he  withdrew  his  guardianship,  her  life  was  "  not  worth  the 
ashes  of  a  rye  straw." 

One  of  these  cases,  where  it  was  to  the  interest  of  the 
Church  to  rid  itself  of  the  presence  of  a  woman  who  had 
given  her  husband  and  the  local  priesthood  a  considerable 
amount  of  anxiety,  was  of  such  a  peculiarly  atrocious  char- 
acter that  I  will  relate  it — not  that  it  in  any  degree  exceeded 
the  villainy  of  many  others,  but  because  of  the  fact  that  it 
illustrates  the  diabolical  cunning  of  these  natural  murderers, 
who  seem  to  have  made  the  study  of  assassination  the  most 
prominent  feature  in  their  horrid  religion. 

The  woman,  whose  name  shall  be  Mrs.  Jenkins  had  been 
"spotted"  by  the  authorities  on  account  of  her  continued 
opposition  to  polygamy.  Her  husband  had  taken  other 
wives,  and  had  paid  her  but  little  attention  for  a  year  or  more. 

She  had  been  suffering  for  some  time  with  a  disease  pecu- 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  1 9 

liar  to  the  female  sex,  and  in  laying  the  plot  to  dispose  of 
her,  this  fact  was  made  to  do  service. 

Not  far  from  where  she  resided  was  the  home  of  one  of 
those  eccentric  geniuses  often  found  in  the  Western  wildSj^ 
who  call  themselves  **  doctors." 

This  man  had  little  knowledge  of  anything  pertaining  to 
his  profession,  but  he  had  acquired  quite  a  reputation  on 
account  of  having  performed  a  number  of  cures  among  the 
women  and  children,  by  the  use  of  herbs  and  other  simple 
mendicaments,  which  he  prepared  in  attractive  forms. 

Among  other  things  of  which  he  claimed  to  have  made  a 
particular  study,  was  the  very  disease  which  had  so  afflicted 
Mrs.  Jenkins. 

Through  the  influence  of  her  husband,  one  of  the  neigh- 
bors had  persuaded  her  to  employ  this  doctor,  who,  by-the-by, 
did  not  stand  in  very  high  repute  among  the  faithful,  because 
on  one  occasion  he  had  said  that  there  were  ''  many  things  on 
this  earth  intended  for  the  healing  of  the  sick,  besides  olive 
oil  and  the  laying  on  of  hands." 

The  time  was  arranged  when  the  doctor  should  call,  and 
one  evening  just  before  the  sun  went  down,  the  unsuspecting 
disciple  of  healing  entered  the  home  of  Mrs.  Jenkins,  and 
as  he  considered  it  necessary  to  learn  all  the  details,  she  ex- 
pressed her  willingness  to  allow  him  to  make  the  examination 
which  was  customary  in  such  cases. 

They  had  entered  the  chamber,  and  were  chatting  about 
the  number  of  similar  cases  among  the  women  of  the  settle- 
ment, and  expressing  sympathy  for  such  unfortunates,  wherr 
a  face  peeped  through  the  space  between  the  curtains,  unob- 
served by  them,  however,  and  soon  disappeared. 

Calling  a  companion  from  a  cow-pen  in  close  proximity  to 
the  house,  the  first  one  said :  "  Here's  your  evidence ;  come 
and  see  for  yourself" 

Cautiously  they  approached  the  low  window,  and  their 
eager  eyes  flashed  with  hate  as  they  saw  the  occupants  of 
the  room. 

The  husband,  turning  to  the  other,  asked  :  "  What  shall  I 
do?"  "What  shall  you  do?  Do?  Why,  kill  'em  both 
right  now ;  that's  what  I'd  do,"  replied  his  companion,  who 
had  every  reason  to  believe  that  he  had  discovered  a  really- 
guilty  pair. 


20  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

Rushing  back  to  the  pen,  it  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment 
to  return  to  the  window,  and  again  were  the  four  eager  eyes 
riveted  upon  the  inmates  of  the  chamber. 

The  excitement  of  the  men  had  caused  the  attention  of 
the  "  doctor "  to  be  attracted  toward  the  window,  and  he 
raised  the  blind  to  look  outside  for  the  cause  of  the  slight 
disturbance ;  but  immediately  upon  the  raising  of  the  blind, 
the  men  secreted  themselves  behind  the  corner  of  the  house. 

Returning  again  to  his  patient,  he  left  the  blind  as  he  had 
raised  it,  and  almost  instantly  the  two  men  returned,  and 
the  "  injured  husband  "  thrust  through  the  window  a  double 
shotgun,  and  discharged  both  barrels  in  quick  succession, 
resulting  in  the  severe  wounding  of  the  doctor,  and  com- 
pletely shattering  the  head  and  neck  of  Mrs.  Jenkins,  "  who 
never  knew  what  hurt  her,"  as  the  witness  testified  the  fol- 
lowing day  before  a  Justice's  Court,  which  acquitted  the 
husband  on  the  ground  of  "a  very  natural  mistake." 

The  doctor  is  now  in  San  Francisco,  and  is  known  as  the 
**  one-armed  orange  peddler." 


CHAPTER  V. 

Obedience  to  the  Priesthood.    Immorality  of  the  young. 
Forced  marriages.     Drunkenness.     Infant  mortality. 


The  principles  of  the  Mormon  Church  have  no  feature  of 
greater  importance,  nor  any  that  have  a  more  complete  in- 
fluence over  the  people,  than  that  of  "obedience  to  the 
priesthood." 

In  every  department  of  social,  commercial,  religious,  po- 
litical and  domestic  affairs,  the  officers  of  the  Church  hold 
supreme  control,  and  authority  to  dictate  without  limit. 

Should  a  member  desire  to  move  to  another  settlement, 
buy  a  farm,  a  horse,  or  sell  a  cow,  he  must  first  consult  his 
Bishop,  or  the  immediate  representative  of  the  priesthood 
set  to  preside  over  him. 

He  cannot  marry  a  first  wife  or  a  second,  a  fifth  or  a 
twenty-fifth,  without  the  advice  and  consent  of  the  priests, 
and  if  a  member  disobey  the  counsel,  in  even  the  slightest 
degree,  his  life  is  ever  after  a  burden  to  him,  and  all  chances 
of  success  in  life  are  completely  destroyed.     He  can  only 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  2 1 

be  reinstated  in  the  confidence  of  the  priesthood  by  com- 
mitting some  outrage,  such  as  the  murder  of  an  apostate,  or 
the  robbing  of  a  gentile. 

Obedience  under  any  and  all  circumstances,  right  or  wrong, 
without  ever  questioning  the  judgment  or  the  honesty  of  the 
priest  or  his  counsel,  is  the  first  and  most  important  element 
in  Mormonism. 

The  effect  of  all  this  is,  that  the  people  are  reduced  to 
serfdom.  They  may  be  called  at  any  moment  to  give  up 
their  homes  and  abandon  everything,  to  start  a  new  settle- 
ment in  some  out-of-the-way  place  designated  by  the  priests, 
who  have  some  pohtical  or  other  point  to  gain,  and  no 
thought  or  care  is  ever  given  to  the  interests  or  condition  of 
the  man  or  his  family. 

This  habit  of  "going  on  a  mission"  has  become  so  com- 
mon among  the  Mormon  people,  that  if  they  escape  the  at- 
tention of  the  priesthood  for  a  few  years,  and  are  thereby 
allowed  to  accumulate  a  little  property,  by  reason  of  the 
non-interference  with  their  material  interests,  they  regard  it 
as  almost  a  miracle,  and  always  esteem  it  a  special,  interposi- 
tion of  Providence  in  their  behalf. 

It  quite  often  happens  that  a  young  couple  marry,  and 
just  as  they  are  arranging  to  settle  down  near  the  home  of 
their  parents,  where  perhaps  everything  ensures  prosperity, 
and  even  luxury,  they  are  "called  on  a  mission"  to  some  bar- 
ren spot  hundreds  of  miles  distant,  to  which  they  must  go, 
or  run  the  risk  of  having  their  "  throats  cut  from  ear  to  ear. 
or  their  bowels  cut  open  and  fed  to  the  hogs,"  as  the  Endow- 
ment House  oath  compels  them  to  agree  to. 

Speaking  of  marriage  reminds  me  that  the  best  and  most 
reliable  records  show,  that  there  is  very  seldom  a  case  where 
a  young  couple  marry  with6ut  the  ceremony  and  the  birth  of 
the  first-born  being  entirely  too  close  together.  Some  of  the 
most  respectable  members  of  the  intelligent  Christian  churches 
in  Utah,  assert  that  by  actual  observation  of  the  most  scru- 
tinizing character,  they  know  that  without  exception,  not  a 
single  marriage  has  been  solemnized  in  some  of  the  settle- 
ments for  the  past  fifteen  years,  wherein  the  parties  con- 
cerned have  been  less  intimate  before  than  after  their  mar- 
riage. 


•  22  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

It  is  considered  to  be  the  privilege  of  all  young  men  and 
women  who  are  betrothed,  to  indulge  in  all  the  familiari- 
ties of  marriage  life,  and  when  comment  is  made  thereon, 
the  critic  is  denounced  as  a  "  fool  who  deserves  his  head 
punched." 

The  old  priests  laugh  at  this  state  of  affairs,  as  they  real- 
ize that  it  welds  the  church  together  with  those  lecherous 
bonds,  which  are  the  life  and  vigor  of  the  Mormon  Church. 
They  think  it  perfectly  proper  to  allow  their  young  daughters 
to  mix  up  with  young  men  who  are  known  to  be  lasciviously 
inclined,  so  that  their  passions  may  be  excited  in  early  life 
before  their  judgment  ripens,  and  thus  they  may  escape  a 
high  sense  of  decency,  which  otherwise  might  be  a  stumbling 
block  in  the  path  of  their  degradation  by  polygamy. 

The  doings  of  the  .young  Mormons  of  both  sexes  are  even 
now  the  talk  of  all  Christian  people  in  Utah;  indeed,  some 
of  the  ministers,  and  many  of  the  most  prominent  ladies  of  the 
several  Christian  churches  in  Salt  Lake  City  and  other  places 
in  Utah,  declare  that  although  their  experience  has  extended 
in  many  cases  among  the  lowest  classes  of  the  people,  in  the 
most  depraved  countries  of  Europe,  and  in  some  instances 
to  the  heathens  of  Africa,  they  have  never  in  any  situation 
encountered  such  utterly  filthy  and  degraded  young  wretches 
as  are  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  Mormon  people. 

It  is  but  the  natural  result  of -polygamy.  The  members 
of  my  own  family  illustrate  clearly  the  degrading  influence 
of  that  most  unnatural  of  all  family  relations.  My  children 
are  scattered,  several  of  them  having  been  more  than  once 
the  occupants  of  a  prison,  while  their  mothers  are  unhappy, 
and  their  father  practically  an  outcast.  God  has  surely  put 
his  curse  upon  it. 

If  the  refined  and  moral  people  of  America  could  but 
understand  the  horrors  and  degradation  attendant  upon 
polygamy,  and  the  fearful  results  it  entails  upon  future  gen- 
erations, they  would  rise  in  their  might  and  crush  out  the 
entire  Mormon  community,  as  many  of  the  God-fearing 
Christian  people  in  the  Territory  feel  assured  will  yet  be 
necessary. 

There  is  not  upon  the  face  of  the  entire  earth,  a  commu- 
nity so  utterly  disloyal,  immoral,  bloodthirsty  and  lecherous 
as  the  Mormon  people,  and  yet  they  live,  thrive  and  defy 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  23 

the  Government  of  the  most  magnanimous  and  enlightened 
nation  of  modern  times. 

They  mock  the  inactivity  of  our  nation,  and  sneer  at  its 
administrators.  They  declare  that  God  will  protect  them 
and  utterly  destroy  the  Republic;  and  they  gloat  in  antici- 
pation when  some  calamity  shall  occur  by  which  the  wives 
and  daughters  of  the  Senators,  and  others  who  legislate 
against  them,  shall  by  the  power  of  God  be  placed  at  their 
disposal  for  "  the  raising  a  righteous  seed  before  the  Lord." 

They  firmly  believe  that  every  beautiful  woman,  who  is 
the  wife  or  daughter  of  any  man  who  opposes  the  Mormon 
Church,  will  yet  be  the  sexual  slave  of  the  Mormon  priest- 
hood, as  a  reward  for  the  persecutions  endured  through  the 
acts  of  their  enemies. 

Bad  and  low  as  is  the  moral  condition  of  the  Mormon 
people  now,  it  is  so  much  better  since  the  advent  of  the  gen- 
tiles than  it  was  previous  to  their  coming,  that  no  compari- 
son can  hardly  be  instituted. 

Nearly  every  young  girl  who  had  arrived  at  puberty,  car- 
ried in  her  pocket  continually  a  compound  prepared  by 
some  of  the  more  experienced  of  the  sex,  for  the  purposes 
of  forestalling  the  consequences  of  illicit  intercourse.  It 
was  a  common  thing  to  hear  a  young  girl  of  fifteen  years  of 
age,  talk  with  the  experience  of  a  married  woman,  on  sub- 
jects which  the  best  interests  of  her  future  womanhood  and 
public  morality  would  have  her  wholly  ignorant  of. 

Drunkenness  was  so  common  that  it  seemed  to  be  the 
natural  condition.  Thousands  of  children  were  born  in 
Utah  at  that  time,  who  owe  their  existence  more,  much 
more,  to  the  villainous  whisky  known  as  "  Valley  Tan,"  than 
the  love  of  their  parents.  Men,  and  women  too,  used  to 
take  their  bottles  and  canteens  of  whisky  to  the  meeting- 
houses, just  as  the  members  of  other  churches  take  their 
bibles  and  prayer  books. 

Babies  were  fed  on  whisky  in  every  conceivable  form; 
they  were  dosed  with  it  from  morning  to  night,  and  when  its 
poisonous  effects  finally  brought  on  serious  illness,  the  little 
ones  were  rubbed  with  "consecrated  oil,"  and  the  elders 
used  to  "  lay  hands  on  them  "  until  they  died.  Thousands 
of  little  graves  in  the  Salt  Lake  and  other  cemeteries  attest 
this  fact. 


24  THE    CRIMES    OF   THE 

The  barbarous  ignorance  of  the  people  cannot  be  con- 
ceived, and  only  those  who  have  been  intimately  associated 
with  them,  as  many  Of  the  members  of  enlightened  churches 
now  are  in  the  sense  of  missionaries,  can  really  understand 
the  nature  of  their  degradation. 

They  laugh  at  the  idea  of  female  purity,  and  denounce 
every  female  teacher  not  of  their  faith,  as  a  '^  prostitute  on 
the  sly."  The  children  scoff  at  a  Christian  minister  and 
make  fun  of  his  dress  and  the  tones  of  his  voice.  If  his 
children  ever  appear  upon  the  streets,  they  are  stoned  and 
their  lives  threatened,  so  that  in  most  cases  they  are  either 
sent  away  from  home  or  kept  close  prisoners  in  the  refined 
circle  of  its  interior. 

The  brave  men  and  women,  who  for  the  past  few  years 
stood  nobly  in  the  front,  and  without  regard  for  their  per- 
sonal safety  or  pecuniary  reward,  have  with  a  self-sacrificing 
spirit  sown  the  seeds  of  a  better  life,  and  taught  the  ways  of 
salvadon  to  these  dissolute  wrecks  of  humanity,  have  carved 
for  themselves  immortal  names  high  on  the  imperishable 
monument  of  Christian  honor. 

There  are  men  and  women  in  the  community  to-day,  who 
in  the  brave  and  noble  spirit  belonging  to  the  superior  ones 
of  earth,  have  set  such  splendid  examples,  that  in  spite  of 
all  obstacles  their  leadership,  has  inspired  the  down-trodden 
ones  to  deeds  of  heroism  without  a  parallel  in  history.  Yet 
these  heroic  acts  are  unheralded  because  of  the  true  patriot- 
ism of  the  brave  few,  who  have  so  long  and  resolutely 
fought  the  alien  hosts  of  the  depraved  serfs  of  Mormon- 
ism. 

Realizing  that  my  own  life  is  unsafe  to  such'a  degree  as  to 
almost  force  me  to  absent  myself  from  Utah,  I  can  but  ad- 
mire the  wondrous  tenacity  with  which  those  whose  hearts 
are  so  far  undaunted,  maintain  their  patriotic  defiance  of  the 
unholy  priesthood,  which  but  for  these  loyal  hands  about  its 
throat,  would  utterly  annihilate  all  semblance  of  American 
liberty  on  the  Pacific  Coast. 

All  honor  to  the  brave  few  who  so  bravely  battle  for  the 
right,  and  who  are  steadily  crushing  out  the  filthy  remnants 
of  Mormonism  to  implant  the  pure  and  elevating  principles 
of  refined  and  progressive  Christianity. 


LATTER    DVY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  2$ 

The  nation  should  at  once  come  to  fheir  succor  with 
moral,  financial  and  military  aid,  and  let  the  consequences 
take  care  of  themselves. 

In  the  language  of  the  old  Mormon  song : 
"Do  what  is  right; 
Let  the  consequence  follow." 


CHAPTER  VL 

About  fifteen  hundred  murders.  Blood  and  rapine. 
The  American  citizen.  The  "used-up"  train.  The 
baby's  death. 


Since  the  settlement  of  Utah  in  1847,  about  1500  mur- 
ders have  been  committed,  and  nearly  all,  directly  or  indi- 
rectly, in  the  interest  of  the  Mormon  Church. 

Of  course  it  is  impossible  for  any  one  to  tell  exactly  how 
many  crimes  of  this  character  have  been  perpetrated,  be- 
cause the  extent  of  country  embraced  in  the  word  Utah, 
really  means,  with  reference  to  early  times,  a  very  large  pro- 
portion of  what  is  now  Idaho,  Montana,  Nevada  and  Wyo- 
ming. 

All  through  this  section  "  the  word  of  the  Lord  "  was  the 
law,  and  wherever  the  Mormons  went  in  search  of  anything, 
whether  it  were  richer  grazing  lands,  or  the  discovery  of 
mountain  passes,  they  were  always  in  the  majority,  and  any 
unfortunate  gentile  in  their  path  necessarily  had  to  "  toe  the 
mark." 

The  slightest  dispute,  or  even  a  difference  of  opinion  on 
such  a  trifling  matter  as  the  probable  depth  of  a  river,  or  the 
quality  of  a  ford,  would  lead  to  angry  quarrels,  which  often 
culminated  in  taunts  being  given  in  regard  to  Mormonism. 

Whenever  this  occurred,  and  especially  if  some  foolish 
fellow,  in  the  pride  of  his  American  manhood,  told  them 
that  Uncle  Sam  would  enforce  the  laws  in  Utah  as  else- 
where, one  or  more  of  that  party  would  be  made  to  "  bite 
the  dust," 

An  instance  of  this  kind  came  under  my  observation  on 
the  banks  of  Green  River. 

A  slight  misunderstanding  arose  among  a  little  party  of 
California  emigrants  and  a  large  train  of  Mormons  in  the 


26  THE    CRIMES    OF   THE 

same  neighborhood,  in  regard  to  the  fording  of  the  stream. 
It  was  a  matter  of  no  consequence  whatever,  in  the  first 
place,  but  as  the  Mormon  Captain  had  declared  his  inten- 
tion to  pass  over  the  stream  before  the  other  train,  which 
had  the  right  to  priority,  one  of  the  gentiles,  in  his  rage, 
said  something  against  the  Mormons. 

One  of  the  Mormons,  approaching  him,  used  some  insult- 
ing words,  and  in  a  few  moments  the  Mormon  Captain 
ordered  the  gentile  away  from  the  camp.  He  refused  to 
leave,  saying  that  an  American  citizen  had  as  many  rights  as 
a  Mormon,  and  standing  with  his  arms  folded,  he  asked  by 
what  right  they  had  been  deprived  of  their  privilege  of  cross- 
ing the  river  first,  having  been  encamped  there  several  hours 
before  the  Mormon  train  arrived. 

Without  giving  him  any  answer,  the  Mormon,  raising  his 
arm,  pointed  over  to  the  gentile  camp,  and  said :  "  Go  where 
you  belong." 

The  man  stood  sullenly  trying  to  keep  his  temper  down, 
and  was  just  on  the  point  of  leaving,  when  one  of  the  Mormon 
teamsters  came  behind  and  struck  him  a  blow  with  an  axe, 
which,  cutting  clear  from  the  top  of  his  head,  laid  it  in  two 
halves  on  his  shoulders.  It  was  the  most  horrible  sight  I 
ever  saw,  and  I  shall  never  forget  it  while  I  live. 

"  Served  him  right,"  broke  in  the  Captain,  "  served  him 
right.  Brother  Jardley;"  and  without  further  ado,  they  seized 
the  body,  and  carrying  it  a  few  steps  to  the  river,  pushed  him 
through  some  willows  into  the  stream,  which  forever  buried 
the  secret  of  his  taking  off. 

The  blood  was  quickly  covered  by  the  ashes  from  the 
camp-fires,  and  when  the  members  of  the  train  came  to  in- 
quire about  the  lost  man,  there  was  no  trace  of  him  to  be  found. 

There  were  but  four  or  five  of  the  members  of  our  train 
who  knew  anything  of  this  affair,  and  they  were,  of  course, 
immediately  sworn  to  the  utmost  secresy. 

We  noticed  that  one  of  the  gentile  men  looked  very  sus- 
piciously at  the  axe,  as  it  rested  against  a  wagon  tongue. 
His  attention  was  drawn  to  it  on  account  of  its  being  wet, 
having  been  thoroughly  washed  in  the  river. 

I  immediately  said  something  about  the  dry  weather  in 
this  country  causing  everything  to  shrink,  and  asked  how 
their  wagon -tires  hung  on. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  27 

Instead  of  crossing  the  river  immediately,  the  Captain 
gave  orders  to  the  men  in  the  train  to  camp  a  day  longer, 
and  finish  the  shoeing  of  the  oxen  on  that  side  of  the  river. 

Towards  evening  of  that  day  the  gentile  train  forded  the 
river,  having  given  up  all  hopes  of  finding  the  missing  man. 

Some  Indians  had  been  seen  in  the  vicinity  the  night  pre- 
vious, and  it  was  surmised  that  he  had  been  captured  by 
them  while  out  alone  that  morning.  The  fact  that  the 
undergrowth  was  very  thick  in  the  vicinity,  gave  some  color 
to  their  surmisings,  as  every  one  could  see  how  easily  a 
party  of  Indians  in  ambush  could  accomplish  any  kind  of 
deviltry,  without  giving  evidence  of  their  presence. 

When  they  had  left  and  the  camp  was  comparatively  quiet, 
we  went  to  the  place  where  the  body  had  been  thrown  into 
the  river,  and  found  there  was  no  sign  of  anything  to  attract 
attention.  The  body  had  evidently  been  carried  down  stream 
by  the  immense  volume  of  water. 

We  never  saw  it  again,  and  all  we  ever  learned  about  it 
was  that  the  man  was  a  son  of  one  of  the  prominent  oppo- 
nents of  Mormonism  in  Missouri.  I  remember,  some  time 
afterwards,  that  the  Captain  said  "  God  had  delivered  him 
into  our  hands." 

A  few  days  afterwards  we  overtook  the  small  train,  which 
had  passed  on  but  slowly,  in  the  hope  of  hearing  something 
about  the  missing  man,  who  seems  to  have  been  highly  es- 
teemed by  all  the  party. 

We  asked  them  if  they  had  heard  from  him,  and  when 
they  told  us  they  had  not,  the  Captain  offered  the  services 
of  two  of  his  riders  to  assist  in  the  search,  as  they  had  done 
on  the  other  side  of  the  river. 

We  reported  that  a  Pony  Express  rider  had  told  us  that  he 
saw  a  party  of  ten  Indians  a  few  miles  up  the  river,  and  one 
of  them  was  wearing  a  fur  cap  similar  to  the  one  which  the 
man  wore  when  they  saw  him  last. 

This  seemed  to  satisfy  most  of  them,  but  the  man  whose 
attention  had  been  attracted  to  the  axe,  on  the  occasion  of 
their  search  in  our  camp,  seemed  unable  to  control  himself 
further,  and  he  blurted  out,  with  more  pluck  than  good 
judgment,  "  It's  a Mormon  lie  ! " 

Had  it  not  been  for  the  presence  of  the  Captain,  a  terrible 
muss  would  have  occurred  right  then  and  there. 

3 


28  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

I  Stepped  quietly  up  to  the  man  and  said :  "  My  dear  fel- 
low !  What  do  you  mean  ?  Do  you  imagine  that  we  are 
attempting  to  deceive  you  ?  " 

His  face  flushed  with  rage,  and  he  said  :  *'  You  are  a  lot 
of murderers,  and  I'll  prove  it  on  you  yet ! " 

Our  Captain  said :  '*  It  is  useless  to  talk  to  a  man  who  is 
crazy  with  passion ; "  and  again  the  train  moved  on.  After 
we  had  gone  a  few  miles,  the  Captain  rode  up  alongside  of 
me  and  said:  "That  train  must  be  destroyed,  or  we  will 
have  serious  trouble." 

"  When  ?  "  I  asked.  "  To-night,"  said  he.  "  I'll  think  it 
over,  and  we  will  arrange  it  so  as  to  make  a  good  job  of  it." 

That  hight,  as  soon  as  the  train  was  encamped,  the  Cap- 
tain rode  back  to  find  something  which  he  said  he  had  lost, 
but  his  trip  was  for  the  purpose  of  ascertaining  the  precise 
whereabouts  of  the  doomed  caravan. 

Upon  his  return,  he  called  us  together,  and  bidding  us 
obey  to  the  letter  every  order,  he,  at  the  head  of  a  party  of 
ten  of  us,  armed  to  the  teeth,  took  the  trail  "after  Indians,'* 
as  he  had  told  the  remaining  members  of  the  train. 

He  led  by  a  circuitous  route,  and  suddenly  we  halted 
within  a  few  rods  of  the  train. 

They  had  all  retired,  and  the  solitary  sentinel  sat  with  his 
gun  across  his  knees,  near  the  last  embers  of  one  of  the 
camp-fires. 

Among  other  weapons,  some  of  the  men  had  stuck  hatchets 
in  their  belts,  and  calling  two  of  the  men,  the  Captain  mo- 
tioned them  to  slip  off  their  boots  and  crawl  to  the  guards 
and  "  silence  him,  if  possible,  without  firing  a  shot." 

Leaving  their  boots,  guns  and  horses  in  our  charge,  they 
moved  cautiously,  with  hatchets  in  their  right  hands  and 
pistols  in  their  left,  while  five  of  us  remained  on  horseback, 
ready  for  the  charge. 

The  other  men  dismounted,  and  held  themselves  in  readi- 
ness to  watch  for  fugitives,  in  case  any  attempted  to  escape. 

It  appears  that  there  were  two  women  in  the  train,  and 
one  of  them,  as  we  at  this  instant  learned,  to  our  surprise, 
had  a  very  young  baby,  who  at  the  moment  of  supreme 
anxiety,  just  as  the  two  men  were  within  ten  feet  of  the 
guard,  raised  its  infantile  organ,  as  if  in  protest  against  the 
attack. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  29 

The  sentinel  raised  his  head,  and  grasping  his  gun,  listened 
attentively  for  a  minute,  and  as  the  child  quieted  down, 
hushed  by  the  soothing  words  of  its  unsuspecting  mother 
he  relapsed  into  his  reverie. 

Turning  suddenly,  however,  he  observed  the  two  men 
crawling  toward  him,  and  with  the  yell,  "  Indians  ! "  he  fired 
his  gun  to  alarm  the  camp. 

There  was  now  no  time  to  lose,  and  we  all  dashed  on  the 
train,  and  as  the  two  men  had  already  slain  the  sentinel,  we 
jumped  into  the  wagons,  shooting  and  striking  at  every  mov- 
ing object. 

Some  three  or  four  of  the  men  and  one  of  the  women, 
with  a  baby  in  her  arms,  jumped  from  the  w^agons,  but  no 
sooner  had  they  reached  the  ground  than  they  were  shot 
down  aud  trodden  to  death  by  our  horses,  which,  in  the 
shrewdness  of  the  Captain,  had  been  selected  from  those 
which  were  unshod,  so  that  the  tracks  could  the  more  readily 
be  mistaken  for  mounted  Indians. 

The  men  who  had  dismounted,  as  well  as  some  of  those 
on  horseback,  wore  moccasins,  and  although  we  never  took 
any  particular  pains  to  examine,  the  chances  are  that  we  left 
no  traces  of  the  attack  having  been  made  by  white  men. 
Should  we  have  done  so,  however,  the  inference  would  have 
been  that  Indians  and  "mountaineers"  were  associated  in 
the  raid. 

We  selected  a  few  valuables  and  appropriated  them  to  our 
own  use,  but  nearly  everything  was  left  to  the  mercy  of  the 
next  emigrants  over  the  Overland  Route  to  the  Gold  Mines 
of  California. 

I  omitted  to  mention  that  the  baby  escaped  death  during 
the  melee,  and  it  was  decided  that  all  should  have  a  hand  in 
its  destruction,  and  as  a  further  bond  of  secresy,  each,  at  the 
order,  "  One  !  two  !  three  ! "  given  by  the  Captain,  fired  a 
shot  at  the  little  innocent,  who,  pierced  simultaneously  by 
eleven  bullets,  bore  thereafter  no  resemblance  to  a  human 
being. 


30  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

CHAPTER  VII. 

The  Law  of  Tithing.  "  How  many  chickens  have  you 
raised  ?"  ''  How  much  butter  ?"  ''  How  many  socks  ?" 
The  penalties  of  non-payment. 


The  matter  of  Tithing,  one  of  the  most  prominent  of  the 
Mormon  doctrines,  is  a  subject  often  spoken  of,  but  little 
understood  by  the  "outside  world,"  as  the  Latter  Day 
Saints  designate  all  those  who  do  not  belong  to  their  Church. 

As  it  is  the  chief  source  of  revenue,  and  the  real  sinews  of 
war  of  this  religio-political  organization,  it  is  important  that 
a  clear  idea  of  its  character,  and  the  methods  of  collection 
should  be  given. 

One-tenth  of  the  entire  income  of  a  member  is  the  de- 
mand made  by  the  priesthood,  and  it  is  obligatory  upon  him 
that  he  surrender  this  amount  regularly,  and  in  full,  or  the 
results  of  failure  are  sure  to  follow. 

A  poor  man's  income,  perhaps,  is  two  dollars  per  day,  and 
working,  say  three  hundred  days  in  a  year,  he  is  required  to 
pay  at  the  end  of  each  year,  the  sum  of  sixty  dollars,  in  the 
kind  of  pay  earned  by  him. 

This  amount  he  is  compelled  to  take  to  the  office  of  his 
Bishop  or  the  presiding  elder  of  his  ward  or  district,  accord- 
ingly as  he  may  be  situated. 

He  is  questioned  closely,  and  often  suspiciously  by  the 
avaricious  priest,  in  regard  to  all  his  sources  of  income,  and 
in  case  of  having  overlooked'  any  item  which  has  incident- 
ally yielded  him  or  his  wife  a  few  dollars,  the  wary  old  priest 
seldom  fails  to  remind  him  of  it,  as  he  has  during  the  year 
kept  himself  well  posted,  through  the  services  of  his  numer- 
ous spies,  who  make  it  their  duty  to  know  everything  in  re- 
gard to  a  member,  and  to  report  it  to  the  chief  priest  of  that 
particular  section. 

Thus  the  poor  fellow  who  has  saved  his  sixty  dollars  in 
cash  or  store  pay,  or  whatever  kind  of  remuneration  he  may 
have  received  during  the  year,  is  compelled  to  go  to  his 
home  and  take  therefrom  a  few  pounds  of  butter,  some  eggs 
or  chickens  as  "one-tenth  in  kind"  of  the  earnings  of  his 
wife,  who  has  managed  a  cow  or  cared  for  a  few  chickens 
during  the  year. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  3 1 

Every  little  detail  of  income  of  every  conceivable  kind  is 
questioned  and  closely  scrutinized  by  the  priest  on  the  sec- 
ond visit  to  the  tithe-payer,  and  on  this  occasion  he  is  re- 
minded that  "Sister  Sarah"  (the  man's  wife)  ''knit  some 
men's  socks  and  sold  them  at  the  store;"  the  result  of  which 
is  that  a  count  is  made  of  the  woman's  work,  and  two  or 
three  pairs  of  socks  are  taken  to  the  Bishop  on  the  next 
visit. 

If  the  butter,  the  eggs,  the  chickens,  or  the  socks  are  of 
extra  fine  quality,  the  Bishop  usually  appropriates  them  to 
his  own  use,  and  pays  to  the  "  General  Tithing  Office"  some 
other  articles,  nominally  the  same  in  value,  but  altogether 
inferior  in  kind. 

Although  this  trick  of  the  Bishops  is  well  known  to  the 
highest  authorities,  they  seldom  find  any  fault,  because  every 
Bishop  is  put  in  office  on  account  of  his  inside  acquaintance 
with  the  murders  and  other  crimes  of  the  Mormon  leaders, 
who  dare  not  "go  back"  on  their  accomplices. 

After  surrendering  the  numerous  articles,  which  if  kept 
would  have  purchased  a  few  more  of  the  necessaries  of  life 
for  the  man  and  his  family,  he  often  discovers  that  the  very 
things  paid  for  tithing  are  turned  to  the  uses  of  the  Bishop 
and  the  priesthood  generally,  who  are  thereby  enabled  to  in- 
dulge in  luxuries  infinitely  beyond  the  reach  of  the  con- 
tributor. 

No  matter  how  much  he  may  realize,  all  this  he  is  com- 
pelled to  pay,  or  the  chances  of  earning  a  living  are  all  de- 
stroyed, and  in  addition,  his  life  and  the  lives  of  his  family 
are  no  longer  safe. 

Not  a  dollar  can  be  earned  by  a  member  of  the  Mormon 
Church,  but  the  priest  immediately  claims  ten  cents  of  it, 
and  as  much  more  as  he  can  get,  by  the  demands  in  other 
departments  of  Church  interests. 

Hundreds  of  thousands  of  dollars    are    collected   every 
year  to  bribe  Congressmen  and  to  prevent  unfavorable  leg- ' 
islation,  as  well  as  to  pay  men  in  Salt  Lake  City  and  other 
places  to  write  favorable  newspaper  and  magazine  articles 
regarding  the  Mormon  people. 

This  tax,  which  is  collected  from  the  members  of  the 
Church  under  the  same  penalties  of  excommunication  and 
threats  of  personal  danger,  in  addition  to  the  surplus  of  the 


32  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

milliorrs  of  dollars  paid  annually  for  tithing,  is  expended 
among  the  influential  legislators  and  literary  men  of  the  na- 
tion, and  thus  the  power  of  the  Church  is  kept  up. 

Whenever  a  man  says  that  he  is  opposed  to  the  attack 
made  upon  the  Mormon  Church  by  the  local  newspapers  or 
politicians,  no  matter  how  mild  or  seemingly  logical  his  pro- 
test may  appear,  you  may  be  assured  that  he  is  "  in  the  pay 
of  the  priesthood,"  as  any  man  with  sufficient  intelligence  to 
be  of  any  value  as  a  defender,  must  necessarily  understand 
the  villainies  of  the  Church. 

The  poor  ignorant  people  who  attach  themselves  to  the 
Mormon  Church,  of  course,  are  in  some  sense  to  be  pitied, 
although  in  every  case,  when  thoroughly  understood,  it  will 
be  seen  that  polygamy  or  some  other  sensual  feature  of  the 
institution,  was  really  the  inducement  which  allured  them. 

In  the  case  of  the  intelligent  ones,  however,  it  is  entirely 
different,  and  although  I  can  understand  how  an  ignorant 
man  who  know^s  nothing  of  Mormonism  may  have  occa- 
sional sympathies  for  the  constant  anoyances  which  they 
endure,  I  am  confident  from  my  experience  that  any  in- 
telligent person  who  knows  nothing  of  them  must  at  a 
glance  discover  their  unnatural  degradation  and  criminal  de- 
basement. 

To  every  man  who,  having  sufficient  education  to  write 
an  editorial,  or  make  a  speech  who  has  done,  or  shall  here- 
after do,  anything  to  prevent  the  utter  annihilation  of  the 
Mormon  Church,  I  say,  "You  are  a  scoundrel,  and  you 
know  it!" 

At  the  same  time,  be  it  remembered,  I  have  much  sym- 
pathy for  the  ignorant  honest  ones,  who  through  lack  of 
mental  strength,  are  deluded,  whether  they  are  in  or  out  of 
this  soul-degrading  Church. 

Cases  illustrating  the  danger  of  refusing  or  neglecting  to 
pay  tithing  have  often  come  under  my  personal  observation, 
and  I  will  give  a  glimpse  of  their  character. 

A  man,  who  for  this  occasion  shall  be  named  Frank  Hi- 
ber,  had  acquired,  by  hard  work  and  continued  attention  to 
his  business,  a  comfortable  home  and  a  fine  farm,  and  in 
addition  a  large  lot  of  cattle,  had  become  somewhat  luke- 
warm in  Mormonism,  was  on  a  certain  occasion  ordered  by 
his  Bishop  to  take  a  second  wife. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH,  33 

His  own  wife,  a  sweet  little  Massachusetts  girl,  the  mother 
of  three  interesting  boys,  whose  coming  had  not  dimmed 
in  the  least  degree  the  graces  and  beauties  of  their  lovely 
mother,  was  much  opposed  to  this  interference  with  their 
happiness,  and  she,  in  her  winsome  loveliness  of  person  and 
disposition,  persuaded  Frank  to  refuse. 

He  quietly  evaded  all  the  Bishop's  attentions,  and  laugh- 
ingly said,  that  "  one   was  enough,  especially  the  kind  I've 

The  priesthood  insisted  upon  his  assuming  family  rela- 
tions ^'according  to  the  Celestial  Law,"  but  he  stood  firm 
against  all  their  arguments,  and  at  last,  as  the  result  of  ex- 
tensive investigation  and  intelligent  conclusions  in  regard 
to  ''  the  principle  of  polygamy,"  he  told  the  Bishop  that  he 
would  not  take  another  wife. 

This  led  to  an  estrangement,  to  some  extent,  and  on  one 
occasion,  when  his  children  had  been  abused  at  school,  be- 
cause their  father  was  an  "apostate,"  the  parents  decided 
to  keep  them  at  home. 

This  incident  set  Frank  to  thinking  about  the  Mormon 
religion,  and  as  his  mind  was  turned  more  seriously  in  that 
direction,  he  purchased  a  number  of  books  treating  the  sub- 
ject, and  soon  he  became  convinced  that  "  there  is  very  little 
good  in  it,"  as  he  on  one  occasion  told  his  sweet  little  wife. 

The  result  of  this  investigation  was,  that  at  times  he  would 
argue  the  question  with  "the  leaders,"  who  came  regularly 
to  his  house,  as  they  did  to  all  others  in  that  vicinity,  and  it 
was  not  long  before  the  whole  settlement  was  told  that  Frank 
Hiber  was  "full  of  the  spirit  of  apostacy." 

It  happened  that  at  the  commenceanent  of  the  following 
year,  the  Bishop  of  the  town  was  driving  along  in  a  sleigh, 
and  Frank  and  his  wife  met  them  on  the  main  road. 

The  Bishop  said,  good-naturedly :  "  Brother  Hiber,  I  have 
just  started  in  to  settle  tithing,  and  if  you'll  call  at  my  house 
to-morrow,  we'll  fix  yours.  I  see  you've  done  splendid  this 
year,  ain't  you  ?  " 

Frank  hesitated  a  moment,  but  finally  thinking  of  the  re- 
solve he  had  made,  said  :  "  Bishop,  I'm  not  going  to  pay 
any  more  tithing;  all  I  make  I  have  use  for,  and  have  con- 
cluded to  keep  for  my  own  use  hereafter." 


34  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

The  Bishop  said,  laughingly:  Oh,  I  guess  you'll  change 
your  mind ;  won't  he.  Sister  Hiber  ? "  She  replied :  **  I 
guess  not." 

Seeing  them  so  determined,  the  Bishop,  with  a  face  as  red 
as  bipod,  said  :  "  Well,  by-by,"  and  drove  on. 

To  make  short  a  long  story,  I  briefly  say  that  at  this  time 
the  young  couple  were  in  possession  of  property  worth  at 
least  twenty  thousand  dollars,  and  before  the  next  year,  all 
they  owned  in  the  world  was  the  farm  and  house,  which  they 
gladly  sold  for  one  thousand  dollars,  and  started  to  a  remote 
section  of  an  adjoining  Territory  to  begin  life  anew. 

All  their  stock  had  been  stolen  or  poisoned,  their  grain- 
stacks  burned  and  their  lives  endangered  by  the  refusal,  on 
that  winter  morning,  to  "obey  the  law  of  tithing." 


CHAPTER  VIII. 
The  subjugation  of  women.      Brother  Smithson's  disci- 
pline.    The  mission  of  the  Jeroams.     "It  is  best  not 
to  interfere." 


There  is  no  feature  of  the  Mormon  institutions  more 
marked  than  the  systematic  subjugation  of  women,  and 
whenever  the  circumstances  render  a  complete  carrying  out 
of  the  plan  at  all  feasible,  the  Mormon  wife  is  reduced  to 
abject  serfdom. 

It  is  considered  almost  a  mortal  offense  for  any  person  to 
offer  any  remonstrance  against  the  cruelties  of  a  husband, 
and  in  case  it  should  be  given  by  one  who  is  in  the  slightest 
degree  doubtful  of  the  divinity  of  the  Church  and  its  doc- 
trines, a  life  often  pays  the  penalty. 

I  will  relate  a  few  -circumstances  which  are  undoubtedly 
true,  but  as  only  a  part  of  the  incidents  actually  were  ob- 
served by  me,  it  is  but  fair  to  so  state.  What  I  did  see,  and 
what  occurred,  so  closely  interweave,  that  I  can  have  no 
doubt  that  the  story,  as  I  give  it,  is  absolutely  correct. 

An  interesting  young  woman,  from  a  well-known  town  in 
England,  became  the  third  wife  of  an  old  Mormon  from  Ver- 
mont, and  for  a  time  she  seemed  to  be  his  idol.  Nothing  was 
"  too  good  for  her,"  to  eat,  wear  or  indulge  in. 

For  some  reason,  of  which  I  know  nothing,  he  suddenly 
turned  against  her,  and  compelled  her  to  do  the  drudgery  of 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  35 

the  entire  family,  and  I  am  informed  that  on  many  occasions 
he  had  beaten  her  and  abused  her  unmercifully. 

On  one  occasion,  early  in  the  morning  of  a  chilly  autumti 
day,  he  was  seen  passing  through  the  doorway  in  the  rear  of 
his  dwelling,  bearing  in  his  arms  "  Betty,"  as  she  was  called 
by  the  neighbors.  Her  name  was  Betsy  Filkins  before  her 
marriage  to  the  Vermont  Saint,  whom  we  will  call  Elder 
Smithson. 

Smithson  had  seized  her  as  she  lay  in  her  bed,  and  without 
giving  her  time  to  add  other  clothing,  he  had  taken  her  in 
his  arms  and  carried  her  into  the  orchard  in  the  lot  on  which 
his  house  stood. 

She  made  some  attempt  to  scream,  but  he  silenced  her  by 
placing  his  hand  over  her  mouth,  and  soon  he  placed  her 
shivering  and  half-exposed  form  against  a  large  peach  tree, 
and  bidding  her  stand  there,  he  returned  in  a  moment  with 
a  chain  and  some  ropes,  which  he  had  conveniently  near. 

It  was  but  the  work  of  a  moment  to  encircle  her  body  with 
the  fastenmgs,  and  she  was  securely  bound  to  the  tree.  He 
drew  from  his  pocket  a  block  of  wood  and  thrust  it  into  her 
mouth,  and  so  effectually  gagged  her  that  she  could  scarcely 
utter  a  sound. 

Having  accomplished  his  work,  he  made  some  remark  to 
her,  and  then  he  passed  toward  the  stable,  and  in  a  minute 
returned  with  "a  black-snake  whip,"  as  it  is  told  to  me,  and 
with  it  he  flogged  the  poor  woman  until  she  fainted  and  fell 
to  the  ground,  or  so  near  to  it  as  her  fastenings  would  allow. 

Her  single  garment  was  of  course  no  protection,  and  the 
blood  oozed  through  the  cotton  cloth,  which  had  been  cut 
open  in  a  number  of  places  by  the  force  of  some  of  the  blows. 

This  scene  was  enacted  within  a  few  rods  of  a  street  that 
was  frequented  by  many  foot-passengers,  but  being  at  an 
early  hour,  no  person  seems  to  have  paid  any  attention  to 
the  affair. 

In  fact,  people  in  the  Mormon  towns  had  learned  that 
e^fen  if  anything  of  this  kind  did  occur,  it  was  "  always  best 
not  to  interfere."  There  were,  however,  two  neighbors  who 
saw  it  all. 

After  leaving  her  in  this  condition  for  a  few  minutes,  and 
noticing  no  sign  of  returning  life,  he  went  to  the  well  and 


36  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

drew  a  bucket  of  water,  and  threw  it  at  one  swoop  all  over 
the  lifeless  form. 

The  sudden  reaction  caused  a  struggle,  and  in  a  few  min- 
utes she  regained  consciousness,  when  he  began  to  tell  her 
that  unless  she  did  as  he  told  her  in  every  particular,  he 
would  "  cut  her  head  clean  off,"  and  he  exhibited  a  butcher- 
knife,  which  nearly  every  one  in  those  times  used  to  carry  in 
his  belt. 

She  shuddered  with  horror  at  his  brutality,  and  seemed  to 
ask  him  to  release  her,  but  he  paid  no  attention,  further  than 
to  kick  her  once  or  twice  with  his  cowhide  boots. 

He  left  her  occasionally,  but  never  took  his  eye  off  her, 
and  in  about  an  hour  he  went  to  her  and  wrenched  the  gag 
from  her  mouth,  and  seating  himself  near,  he  told  her  she 
might  "  talk  now  if  you  want  to." 

The  poor  creature  was  almost  crazy,  but  in  the  best  way 
she  could,  she  assured  him  she  would  never  offend  him  again. 

Not  satisfied  with  this,  he  struck  her  several  severe  blows 
with  the  whip,  and  as  she  cried  out,  one  of  his  other  wives 
opened  the  door  to  see  what  was  going  on,  but  a  threatening 
motion  soon  caused  her  disappearance. 

A  young  man  and  woman  were  just  passing  in  front  of  the 
house,  and  hearing  the  voice  of  a  woman  in  distress,  he 
slipped  between  the  poles  of  the  fence,  and  was  shortly  in 
full  view  of  the  scene. 

This  young  man,  who  was  engaged  to  the  young  lady  wh^ 
accompanied  him,  we  will  call  Harry  Jeroam.  He  at  once 
began  to  remonstrate  with  Brother  Smithson,  and  had  it  not 
been  for  the  presence  of  his  affianced,  a  terrible  conflict  be- 
tween the  two  men  would  have  ensued,  without  doubt,  as 
Jeroam  told  him  he  "ought  to  have  your  infernal  brains 
blown  out,  to  treat  a  woman  like  that." 

Before  the  young  couple  departed,  the  woman  was  released 
and  led  into  the  house,  from  which  she  never  emerged  until 
when,  some  two  months  afterwards,  she  became  the  mother 
of  her  first  child,  which,  by  the  edict  of  nature,  had  been^n 
unconscious  participant  in  the  horrible  affair  which  I  have 
briefly  told. 

This  narrative,  however,  is  chiefly  given  to  show  the  fate 
of  those  who  interfere  with  "  husband  and  wife  in  Zion.*' 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  37 

Not  long  afterwards,  young  Jeroam  and  his  sweetheart 
*'  went  through  the  Endowment  House,"  and  were  married 
"for  time  and  eternity." 

They  had  a  comfortable  home,  and  Harry  was  progressing 
nicely  in  a  business  well  suited  to  his  tastes,  when  they  were 
ordered  to  move  out  into  the  country,  to  a  small  settlement 
of  four  or  five  families  in  a  canon,  a  few  miles  distant. 

Of  course  it  was  useless  to  think  of  anything  other  than  to 
"  obey  counsel,"  and  shortly  they  disposed  of  their  place  at 
a  great  loss,  and  started  to  their  destination. 

While  Harry  was  building  a  small  log  hut  of  one  room, 
they  lodged  in  a  tent  which  he  had  bought  from  a  Califor- 
nian  emigrant. 

In  a  few  weeks  the  house  was  ready  for  occupancy,  and 
the  young  couple  tried  to  believe  that  they  were  comfortable, 
although  they  saw  no  prospects  of  material  wealth  in  that 
locality.  They  had  been  assured  by  the  priesthood  "that 
the  Lord  will  bless  and  prosper  you,  if  you  are  faithful  and 
keep  His  commandments,"  and  they  had  some  faith  in  the 
promise. 

They  had  only  been  in  their  new  location  about  a  month, 
when  they  learned,  by  a  circuitous  process,  that  Brother 
Smithson  had  been  the  cause  of  their  being  "called  on  a 
mission."  Harry  could  scarcely  believe  it,  but  the  evidence 
was  conclusive,  and  he,  after  a  long  and  deliberate  consulta- 
tion with  his  wife,  decided  to  say  nothing  about  it,  as  it  was 
"probably  all  for  the  best." 

It  appears  that  Smithson  was  a  great  favorite  of  the  Bishop 
of  the  Ward  in  which  Jeroam  had  previously  resided,  and  as 
the  old  Bishop  had  one  or  two  obstreperous  "  women"  whom 
he  found  it  necessary  at  times  to  subdue,  they  had  decided 
that  "  the  young  man  had  better  be  taught  a  lesson ;"  and  so 
the  Bishop  recommended  Jeroam  for  a  mission.  He  was 
accordingly  called  at  the  next  Conference. 

In  their  new  home  they  were  exposed  to  all  sorts  of  dan- 
gers and  annoyances.  The  road  over  which  the  emigrants 
passed  was  in  close  proximity  to  the  humble  domicile  of  the 
Jeroams,  and  although  at  times  a  dollar  or  two  would  be 
received  in  exchange  for  milk  and  butter,  they  were  often 
imposed  upon  in  many  ways  by  the  rough  land  voyagers, 


38  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

who,  in  their  reckless  way,  had  little  respect  for  the  rights  of 
other  people. 

The  active  life  which  Harry  was  compelled  to  pursue  to 
earn  a  living  caused  him  to  be  absent  from  his  home  in  the 
mountains  quite  frequently. 

One  day  on  his  return,  after  an  absence  of  two  nights  and 
three  days,  his  wife  met  him  at  the  door  with  the  usual  kiss, 
but  Harry  spitefully  pushed  her  away.  With  tears  in  her  eyes 
and  her  heart  almost  broken,  she  begged  him  to  tell  her  the 
cause  of  his  trouble. 

He  avoided  her,  and  as  soon  as  he  had  attended  to  his 
team,  he  went  to  the  house  of  a  neighbor  and  there  took 
some  food,  refusing  to  eat  in  his  own  house. 

When  night  came  and  he  did  not  return,  she  went  to  the 
stable,  where  he  had  made  his  bed,  and  endeavored  to  get 
him  into  conversation,  but  all  he  would  say  was,  "  Go  away, 
and  don't  bother  me,  for  God's  sake." 

She  stood  at  the  door,  begging  and  crying  for  him  to  speak 
to  her,  until  her  heart  almost  broke  and  her  brain  seemed  to 
give  way,  when  she  wandered  down  to  the  mountain  stream, 
and  endeavored  to  make  up  her  mind  to  destroy  herself,  but 
finally  nerving  herself  for  another  interview,  she  crept  quietly 
back  to  the  stable,  and  after  carefully  listening,  she  found 
that  Harry  had  dozed  off,  and  she  laid  herself  quietly  at  his 
side,  on  the  dirty  floor  of  the  damp  stable. 

In  a  few  minutes  he  moved  uneasily  in  his  sleep,  and 
muttered  something  which  she  could  not  understand  She 
listened  with  eagerness,  and  finally  she  heard  him  say :  "  I 
must  kill  her ;  it  is  my  duty.  She  will  be  damned  forever. 
She  must  die — must  die." 

Raising  his  hand,  he  seized  his  pillow,  and  as  if  in  the  act 
of  choking  a  person,  be  said,  with  all  the  vehemence  of  a 
madman:   "  My  God  !  I  have  done  it ;  but  it  was  right." 

She  gently  said:  "Harry!  Harry!  what's  the  matter?" 
when  he  seemed  instantaneously  to  realize  that  he  had  been 
dreaming,  and  glaring  at  her,  he  called  her  by  a  name  only 
applicable  to  the  most  degraded  women,  and  seizing  her  by 
the  throat,  he  threw  her  on  the  ground,  and  in  an  instant, 
releasing  her,  he  said  :  "  Let  me  ask  you  a  question  :  who 
was  that  man  who  stayed  at  the  house  while  I  was  away  ? 
Tell  me  the  truth." 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  39 

Feelingassured  that  he  was  indeed  insane,  she  struggled 
to  free  herself,  and  finally  said  :  "  Harry  !  my  dear,  sweet 
Harry  !  why,  what  has  come  over  you  ?  No  one  has  been 
at  the  house — neither  man  nor  woman.  What  do  you 
mean?"  And  seizing  him  in  her  arms,  she  implanted  a' 
passionate  kiss  upon  his  lips,  and  fainted  in  his  arms. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

The  troubles  of  the  Jeroams.  The  villainous  Simkin. 
The  Danite's  work.  "  Curse  you  both."  Brother  Smith- 
son  and  the  Priesthood  avenged. 


A  faint  gleam  of  the  moon  had  dimly  lighted  the  interior 
of  the  stable,  which  was  roughly  constructed  of  logs,  between 
which  there  were  openings  often  three  or  four  inches,  where 
the  unevenness  of  the  material  and  the  crudeness  of  the 
workmanship  had  failed  to  bring  symmetry. 

By  the  light  of  the  moon,  as  it  shone  through  the  crevices, 
young  Jeroam  could  see  that  his  wife  was  deathly  pale,  and 
fearing  fatal  results,  he  bore  her  to  the  house,  which  was 
only  a  few  yards  away,  and  there  he  laid  her  upon  the  tempt- 
ing bed,  which  she  had  prepared  for  their  mutual  occupancy. 

She  had  left  the  light  burning  in  the  house  when  she  went 
in  search  of  her  husband,  and  by  its  glare  he  saw  that  it  was 
necessary  to  resuscitate  her  at  once,  as  life  had  almost  fled. 

Fearing  to  leave  her,  even  for  a  moment,  he  was  unable  to 
procure  any  assistance,  so  that  the  success  of  his  undertaking 
depended  entirely  upon  his  own  exertions. 

After  continued  efforts,  he  was  at  last  rewarded  by  observ- 
ing a  slight  struggle,  and  soon  she  opened  her  eyes.  He 
immediately  raised  her  head,  when  she  asked  :  *'  What  is  the 
matter?     Have  I  been  dreaming?" 

He  comforted  her  by  telling  her  not  to  worry ;  that  all 
would  be  well,  and  that  there  must  be  some  horrid  mistake 
some  way. 

When  she  recovered  consciousness,  she  at  last  persuaded 
him  to  tell  her  what  had  troubled  him,  and  although  he 
seemed  fully  convinced  of  the  stories  which  had  been  told 
to  him,  she  soon  proved  to  him  the  impossibility  of  anything 
occurring  like  that  which  he  had  been  told. 


4©  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

After  many  caresses,  they  at  last  retired  to  bed,  and  when 
morning  came,  all  their  troubles  were  over,  and  each  woi> 
dered  how  such  silly  things  could  have  brought  so  much 
misery. 

All  went  merrily  with  the  young  couple  for  a  few  weeks, 
and  it  seemed  that  their  hearts  were  more  closely  welded 
than  ever,  through  the  tortures  which  they  had  recently  en- 
dured. 

About  this  time,  a  young  man  named  Simkin  came  to 
live  in  the  neighborhood,  he  having  been  called  to  settle  in  the 
same  little  town  as  the  Jeroams  were  living. 

Simkin  had  been  very  fond  of  Mrs.  Jeroam  in  her  girl- 
hood, and  when  she  finally  told  him  she  did  not  love  him, 
and  really  did  love  some  one  else,  his  eyes  flashed  fire,  and 
he  told  her  to  beware,  as  he  would  punish  her  for  her  obsti- 
nacy, no  matter  how  long  a  time  might  elapse  before  he 
"  had  a  chance." 

His  coming  to  the  little  town  was  a  source  of  much  anxiety 
to  her,  and  at  times  she  felt  like  telling  her  husband  the  cause 
of  her  uneasiness,  but  fearing  the  peculiar  jealousy  which  had 
been  aroused  in  him  on  the  previous  occasion,  she  decided 
to  say  nothing  about  the  matter. 

Harry  had  never  known  of  the  attentions  shown  to  her  by 
young  Simkin,  and  as  he  was  a  jolly  kind  of  fellow,  Harry 
had  invited  him  to  the  house  in  one  or  two  cases.  During 
these  visits  Mrs.  Jeroam  was  always  very  unhappy,  and  when 
she  saw  a  growing  intimacy  between  him  and  her  husband, 
she  feared  some  disagreeable  results  would  follow. 

One  day  Harry  said  to  her :  "  That  fellow,  Simkin,  is  one 
of  the  best-hearted  fellows  I  ever  saw.  He  seems  willing  to 
do  everything  for  me,  and  I  am  thinking  of  going  into  a  kind 
of  partnership  with  him.  If  I  do,  we  can  arrange  to  have 
him  make  his  home  with  us." 

A  look  of  distrust  passed  over  the  face  of  Mrs.  Jeroam, 
who,  when  asked  what  she  thought  of  the  proposition,  said  : 
"  I  wouldn't  do  it,  Harry ; "  and  then,  with  tears  in  her  eyes, 
she  said:  "I  wouldn't  bring  him  here,  and  I  wish  you  would 
have  nothing  to  do  with  him."     Harry  was  dumbfounded. 

Telling  her  it  was  one  of  her  silly  whims,  they  dismissed 
the  subject,  and  were  cosily  discussing  a  pleasant  breakfast.^ 
when  Simkin  came  to  the  door  to  ask  Harry  a  question. 


LATTER   DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  4I 

Harry  invited  him  to  breakfast,  and  as  soon  as  they  com- 
menced talking,  Mrs.  Jeroam  discovered  that  the  arrange- 
ments between  them  were  almost  concluded,  and  it  seemed 
difficult  for  her  to  understand  by  what  means  her  husband 
could  avoid  associating  himself  with  this  man  without  break- 
ing his  word. 

She  listened  with  a  woman's  anxiety  to  every  word,  and 
when  the  breakfast  was  over,  she  was  almost  beside  herself 
with  grief  at  the  turn  things  had  taken. 

As  soon  as  she  could  again  speak  to  Harry,  she  begged 
him  to  arrange  so  that  Simkin  should  not  make  his  home 
with  them,  no  matter  what  else  had  to  be  done. 

While  talking  with  her  husband,  she  observed  some  small 
stakes  which  had  been  driven  in  the  ground  near  the  house, 
and  she  asked  him  what  they  were  for.  He  told  her  that  he 
had  arranged  to  build  another  room  for  Simkin,  and  that  the 
logs  which  were  near  the  stable  had  been  hauled  by  Simkin 
for  that  purpose. 

She  begged  of  him  to  prevent  this  at  any  cost,  as,  if  he 
came,  she  felt  that  their  home  would  be  "a  home  no  longer." 
He  laughed  at  her  fears,  but  he  told  her  he  would  see  what 
could  be  done  in  the  case. 

That  morning  he  had  a  long  talk  with  Simkin,  and  as  his 
suspicions  had  been  aroused  that  something  existed  between 
the  two  which  was  not  exactly  as  it  should  be,  he  watched 
very  closely  every  word  spoken  by  Simkin. 

At  last  Harry  said  :  "  I  wish  you  would  say  what  you  will 
take  to  let  me  out  of  that  arrangement  I  made  in  regard  to 
building  a  room  on  the  house  for  you  to  live  in.  My  wife 
says  she  will  need  the  room  badly,  and  I  really  think  there 
would  be  no  comfort  for  you  there." 

Simkin  had  set  his  mind  more  firmly  on  tTiis  part  of  the 
contract  than  on  any  other,  and  in  his  rage  and  disappoint- 
ment he  said:  "That's  right;  back  out  altogether;"  and 
then,  tauntingly,  he  said  :  *'  Damn  a  man  that'll  let  a  woman 
manage  him,  anyhow  ! " 

Harry  was  terribly  annoyed,  but  keeping  his  temper,  he 
asked  Simkin  to  relieve  him  from  that  part  of  the  contract, 
but  he  doggedly  said :  "No,  I  won't;  either  all  or  nothing. 
You  know  I  have  no  home,  and  after  all  the  arrangements  I 
have  made,  it's  infernal  mean  of  you  to  cheat  me  this  way. 


42  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

You  can  have  the  logs,  and  go  to  hell,  where  you  will  go 
before  long,  you  damned  apostate  ! " 

Harry  asked  him  to  be  cool,  and  think  the  matter  over 
quietly,  but  he  refused,  and  said  :  *^  From  this  time  we  are 
enemies,  and  look  out  that  you  don't  cross  me  again." 

Mrs.  Jeroam,  immediately  upon  the  return  of  her  hus- 
band, questioned  him  in  regard  to  the  result  of  the  conver- 
sation, but  Harry  was  too  much  annoyed  to  say  anything 
further  than  that  it  was  the  last  time  he  should  allow  her  to 
interfere  with  his  arrangements. 

She,  in  her  womanly  weakness,  begged  her  husband  to  go  and 
make  friends  with  Simkin,  and  she  promised  that  she  would 
be  kind  to  him,  and  make  him  comfortable  in  every  way. 
Harry  laughed  at  her  changeability,  but  reasoning  that  the 
delicate  condition  of  his  wife's  health  caused  these  strange 
whims,  he  good-naturedly  said:  "No;  it  has  gone  too  far. 
We  are  sworn  enemies  for  life  ;  and  all  through  you." 

The  woman,  through  her  .fears,  cried  and  entreated  her 
husband  to  fetch  him  to  the  house,  so  that  she  could  again 
cement  their  friendship,  and  in  a  semi-desperation,  she  de- 
clared that  she  would  see  Simkin  and  make  the  matter  all 
right  with  him. 

Harry  advised  her  never  to  speak  to  him  again,  and  told 
her  that  if  he  ever  came  to  the  house,  to  shut  the  door  in 
his  face. 

Mrs.  Jeroam  secretly  determined,  at  all  hazards,  to  save 
trouble  between  her  husband  and  the  desperate  Simkin,  and 
when  Harry  had  gone  off  with  his  team  to  haul  a  load  of 
sand,  she  saw  Simkin  standing  near  the  fence,  and  asked 
him  to  come  into  the  house,  as  she  wanted  to  speak  to  him. 

He  was  onl)5  too  glad  of  this  opportunity  to  see  her,  as  it 
afforded  him  the  means  of  carrying  out  the  plan  which  he 
was  under  instructions  from  his  superiors  in  the  priesthood 
to  perfect,  and  as  his  own  spleen  was  ^Iso  to  be  gratified,  the 
task  was  doubly  interesting. 

Just  as  he  entered  the  house,  Harry  returned  on  one  of 
his  horses  to  get  a  chain  to  mend  the  broken  brake  on  his 
wagon,  and  he  saw  them  enter  the  house  together. 

6nraged  beyond  degree,  he  entered  the  stable,  in  the  en- 
deavor to  cool  his  anger,  but  the  more  he  thought,  the  more 
enraged  he  became. 


LATTER   DAY   SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  43 

Rushing  into  the  house,  he  demanded  the  cause  of  this 
clandestine  interview,  and  before  either  could  explain,  he 
struck  Simkin  a  blow  which  knocked  him  down  among  the 
hot  ashes  on  the  fireplace. 

In  a  moment  he  was  up  again,  and  the  two  men  were  pre- 
pared for  the  deadly  conflict.  Each  with  a  butcher-knife  in 
his  hand,  rushed  upon  the  other,  when  Mrs.  Jeroam,  in  her 
excitement,  threw  herself  between  them.  At  this  moment 
Simkin  saw  his  opportunity,  and  with  a  fearful  thrust  of  the 
knife,  he  slew  the  woman  and  the  unborn  child  of  the  man 
he  hated  with  one  blow. 

The  men  fought  like  tigers,  and  at  last  they  fell,  exhausted 
from  the  loss  of  blood.  Both  were  mortally  wounded  in 
several  places,  and  the  fight  was  ended.  The  poor  woman, 
in  horrible  agonies,  was  writhing  on  the  floor  near  the  dying 
men,  when  Simkin  raised  his  head  upon  his  arm  and  said  : 
*' You'll  never  interfere  with  Brother  Smithson  again,  I 
guess.  I  was  told  to  do  it,  and  I've  done  it.  Curse  you 
both  ! " 


CHAPTER  X. 

How  I  CAME  TO  WRITE  THIS  BOOK.  The  principles  of  Mor- 
monism.  The  influence  of  the  Danites.  A  warning 
voice.     The  brave  opponents  of  Mormonism  in  Utah. 


I  have,  as  will  be  observed,  made  no  attempt  to  paint  the 
horrid  scenes  which  I  have  presented,  with  the  colors  of  the 
novelist  or  dramatist,  who  must  see  therein  all  the  incidents 
of  profound  romance  and  tragic  horror.  Having  never 
written  a  book  on  any  subject  before,  it  is  not  to  be  ex- 
pected that  this  little  work  shall  possess  any  literary  merit, 
and  it  is  but  natural  that  I  should  fail  to  invest  the  portrayal 
with  anything  of  the  character  of  the  real  occurrences. 
Most  of  the  cases  to  which  I  have  referred,  and  shall  here- 
after refer,  are  parts  of  my  actual  experience,  and  are  as 
indelibly  stamped  in  my  memory  as  are  the  recollections  of 
my  life  in  any  other  particulars,  intensified  by  the  fact  that 
they  have  been,  and  now  often  are,  the  subject  of  my 
dreams,  which  I  now  at  last  begin  to  realize  are  "  the  hell 
upon  earth,"  which  we  often  hear  spoken  of 
4 


44  THE   CRIMES   OF   THE 

Just  why  I  should  now  tell,  for  the  first  time,  many  of  the 
incidents  herein,  I  cannot  tell,  further  than  that  I  am  aware 
that  a  fair  regard  for  personal  safety  was  the  chief  cause  of 
my  silence  for  a  long  time,  added  to  which  was  a  supersti- 
tious fear  that  in  telling  anything  of  this  kind,  I  was  doing 
"  wrong  in  the  sight  of  God,"  as  I  had  often  been  assured 
was  the  case  by  those  "  set  over  me  in  the  priesthood." 

Recently,  although  I  have  but  little  faith  in  the  doctrines 
of  the  Spiritualists,  I  have  almost  begun  to  believe  that  the 
influences  which  seem  to  prompt  me  to  write  are  no  more 
nor  less  than  the  spirits  of  those  who,  having  been  deprived 
of  their  existence  upon  this  earth,  by  the  aid  of  myself  and 
many  others  of  my  intimate  acquaintances,  have  formed  a 
compact  to  use  me  as  an  instrument  to  let  .their  friends 
know  something  more  of  the  iniquities  of  the  Mormon 
Church. 

I  have  no  reason  for  this  impression,  other  than  that  a 
horrible  feeling  of  depression  came  over  me  some  months 
ago,  and  something  seemed  to  say  to  me,  "Write;  write; 
write." 

I  had  no  subject  on  my  mind,  and  am  not  a  writer,  either 
by  profession  or  instinct,  so  that  I  could  not  understand  why 
I  should  be  thus  impressed.  After  this  importuning  had 
continued  for  several  days,  I  one  Synday  afternoon  retired 
to  my  room,  and  seemingly  in  a  semi-conscious  condition,  I 
fell  upon  my  knees  and  asked  forgiveness  of  God  for  all  I 
had  done  that  was  wrong,  and  while  kneeling,  a  great  change 
of  feeling  came  over  me. 

I  rose  and  seated  myself  at  my  desk,  and  placing  paper, 
pens  and  ink  near  me,  I  seemed  to  be  about  to  write  a  letter 
to  an  absent  friend,  when  my  eyes  closed  involuntarily,  and 
I  heard  my  pen  scratching  rapidly  over  the  surface  of  the 
paper,  and  when  I  again  recovered  consciousness,  I  saw  that 
I  had  written  the  w^hole  of  the  first  chapter  and  the  headings 
of  the  remaining  sixteen. 

Here  was  my  work  started  and  mapped  out  with  such 
detail,  that  I  saw  exactly  what  I  was  to  do,  and  all  that  has 
been  done  so  far  has  been  done  apparently  with  no  effort  on 
my  part,  other  than  that  in  reading  over  the  manuscript  I 
made  a  few  unimportant  changes  in  the  phraseology. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  45 

To  the  uninitiated  it  must  be  hard  to  believe  that  the  cir- 
cumstances related  can  have  any  foundation  in  truth,  but 
when  it  is  considered  what  the  peculiar  beliefs  of  the  Mor- 
mon people  are,  it  is  much  more  easily  understood,  as  for 
the  effects  one  finds  the  causes. 

The  Mormons  are  first  taught  to  believe  in  God  "  to  have 
faith,"  as  it  is  termed,  and  coupled  with  their  faith  in  God, 
they  are  required  to  believe  that  God  is  really  present  in  the 
priesthood  of  the  Mormon  Church.  They  believe  that  it  is 
as  great  a  wrong  to  disobey  the  priesthood  in  any  particular 
as  to  directly  defy  the  Creator,  because  these  men  are  in- 
spired by  God,  and  are  really  the  agents  of  His  will,  dele- 
gated with  full  authority  to  attend  to  the  affairs  of  the  (jod- 
head  here  upon  earth. 

When  a  man  once  accepts  this  as  the  ground-work  of  his 
faith,  it  is  easy  to  understand  that  a  ponderous  superstructure 
of  fanaticism  can  readily  be  constructed  thereon. 

Next  they  are  taught  repentance,  which,  as  they  define  it> 
is  to  "cease  to  do  evil  and  learn  to  do  well ;"  but  the  priests 
hold  the  right  to  say  what  is  ev'A  and  what  is  well.  Then 
comes  baptism  for  the  "remission  of  sins,"  which  is  sup- 
posed to  wash  the  convert  clean  from  all  the  sins  of  the 
wicked  world,  from  which  he  is  expected  thereafter  to  with- 
draw himself,  and  "listen  only  to  the  still,  small  voice"  of 
the  spirit  of  God,  "as  revealed  through  His  priesthood." 

Next  comes  Tithing.  This  is  the  acceptance  of  an  agree- 
ment to  pay  to  the  Church  one-tenth  of  the  entire  earnings 
of  the  family,  "  for  the  support  of  the  Church  and  the  up- 
building of  the  kingdom  of  God  here  upon  the  earth." 

Then- the  convert  is  taught  that  it  is  his  duty  to  "gather 
to  Zion,"  the  home  of  the  Mormon  people,  now  in  Utah. 

Polygamy  is  next  in  order,  and  it  becomes  the  duty  of 
every  man  to  obey  the  "  Celestial  Law,"  by  taking  additional 
wives,  and  the  women  are  taught  that  they  must  obey, 
under  penalty  of  being  "destroyed  in  the  flesh."  All  are 
assured  that  obedience  thereto  is  a  guarantee  of  salvation, 
even  should  the  convert  "commit  all  manner  of  sin  except 
the  shedding  of  innocent  blood,  and  the  sin  against  the 
Holy  Ghost," — the  latter  the  "unpardonable  sin,"  so  much 
talked  of  among  the  Mormon  people. 


46  THE   CRIMES    OF    THE 

The  "  shedding  of  innocent  blood  "  does  not  apply  to  the 
killing  of  a  gentile  or  an  apostate,  as  their  blood  is  defined 
as  "guilty,'/  so  that  murders  of  this  kind  have  no  influence 
against  salvation,  but  to  kill  a  brother  Mormon  without  the 
permission  of  the  priesthood,  is  the  shedding  of  innocent 
blood.  » 

The  "  sin  against  the  Holy  Ghost,"  the  unpardonable  sin, 
is  the  failure  to  obey  the  behests  of  the  priesthood  in  any 
particular,  and  the  divulging  of  the  secrets  of  the  Endow- 
ment House,  or  the  betraying  of  a  fellow  Danite  into  the 
hands  of  the  gentiles." 

For  these  there  is  no  pardon,  and  nothing  but  the 
'*  blood  of  the  guilty  one  offered  as  a  sacrifice  before  God," 
can  "  save  his  or  her  soul  from  utter  annihilation." 

A  Mormon  who  fails  to  kill  any  person  who  has  had  "  an 
opportunity  to  embrace  the  Gospel,"  and  then  turns  against 
it,  is  really  "  derelict  of  duty,"  as  the  priests  define  it. 

He  is  taught  that  the  "  keys  of  eternal  life  "  can  only  be 
received  through  the  ceremonies  of  the  Endowment  House, 
and  he  is  forced  through^  there  by  every  influence  which 
can  be  brought  to  bear  upon  him. 

This  Endowment  House  affair  is  a  sort  of  Free-Masonry, 
to  which  is  added  oaths  especially  adapted  to  the  uses  of 
Mormonism,  and  a  number  of  oaths  are  prescribed  much 
after  the  manner  of  the  A.  F.  &  A.  M. 

In  this  case  though,  the  oaths  are  all  of  a  treasonable  and 
bloodthirsty  character,  and  the  penalties  are  of  the  most 
horrible  nature.  I  remember,  when  I  '^  went  through  the 
house,"  the  horrible  oaths  and  penalties  were  present  in  my 
dreams  and  memory  for  several  months,  whereas  in  my 
previous  experience  in  Masonic  initiation,  there  was  noth- 
ing but  pleasurable  recollections,  although  the  ceremonies 
were  fully  as  elaborate  and  otherwise  as  impressive. 

The  story  of  this  treasonable  "sink-hole  of  iniquity,"  as  a 
brave  and  honest  journal  of  Utah  has  characterized  it,  has 
been  so  often*  told,  that  I  refrain  from  giving  details. 

Complete  and  absolute  "  obedience  to  the  priesthood  "  is 
here  inculcated,  and  if  in  addition  to  the  other  obligations, 
the  responsibilities  of  polygamy  have  been  assumed,  as  in 
my  case,  all  individual  identity  is  gone,  and  from  that  time 
the  convert  is  a  slave  in  the  fullest  sense.     He  must  preach, 


LATTER   DAY   SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  47 

pray,   lie,  seduce,   murder,  or  do  anything  good,  bad,   or 
indifferent,  in  the  interest  of  the  Mormon  Church. 

From  that  time,  he  must  no  longer  regard  the  laws  of  the 
land,  but  must  do  his  utmost  to  "break  down  all  govern- 
ments, destroy  all  peoples,  and  build  up  Zion,  on  the  ruin 
of  its  enemies,"  which  means  every  one  who  does  not  submit 
to  the  dictation  of  the  priesthood. 

Many  of  the  more  devout  are  still  further  "  honored  "  by 
being  initiated  into  the  order  of  "  Danites,"  an  organization 
which  is  under  obligations  to  "bite  the  heel"  of  the  ene- 
mies of  Zion."  They  hold  themselves  in  readiness  at  all 
times  to  destroy  any  one,  even  each  other,  when  so  ordered 
by  the.  heads  of  the  Church. 

The  peculiar  situation  of  the  Mormons  renders  them 
liable  to  many  attacks  from  parties  outside  of  their  Church, 
and  not  infrequently,  some  earnest  man  or  woman  becomes 
conspicuous  in  opposition  to  their  bestiality. 

These  prominent  ones  are  "spotted,"  and  the  Danites 
are  told  to  "  hold  themselves  in  readiness  as  Minute  Men  " 
for  "  final  orders,"  which,  when  received,  seal  the  fate  of  the 
party  concerned,  although  it  may,  for  especial  reasons,  take 
years  in  its  accomplishment. 

Although  I  have  been  absent  from  the  headquarters  of 
the  Mormons  for  a  long  time,  I  am  in  communication  with 
those  who  post  me  on  some  matters,  and  I  am  therefore 
cognizant  of  the  fact  that  several  people  who  are  now  among 
the  leaders  of  the  opposition  to  the  Mormon  Church,  and 
who  now  reside  in  Salt  Lake  City,  are  doomed  to  a  destruc- 
tion from  which  there  is  not  and  cannot  be  any  escape,  short 
of  a  continued  residence  in  a  foreign  country. 

I  have  warned  several  of  them,  in  an  indirect  way,  but 
their  brave  hearts  seem  to  know  no  fear,  working  as  they  do, 
in  a  full  knowledge  of  the  righteousness  of  their  cause. 

When  I  think  of  these  noble  people,  I  often  say  to  myself 
that  perhaps  my  natural  cowardice  will  be  of  use  to  better 
men  some  time ;  for  if  I  had  been  brave  in  my  opposition 
when  my  eyes  were  first  opened  to  the  enormity  of  my  crim- 
inal participation,  I  should  long  since  have  been  laid  away, 
and  then  I  could  not  have  raised  this  warning  cry  to  save 
others. 


48  THE    CRIMES    OF   THE 

CHAPTER   XI. 

The  Mountain  Meadow  Massacre.  The  picked  nine. 
The  compact.  The  captain's  orders.  The  lust  of  the 
brethren. 


The  wholesale  assassination  of  the  Arkansas  emigrants  at 
Mountain  Meadows,  in  Utah,  is  remembered  by  everybody 
who  ever  paid  the  slightest  attention  to  Mormonism  and  its 
history. 

The  members  of  the  Church  always  assert  that  the  Indians 
destroyed  the  emigrants  for  the  purpose  of  avenging  them- 
selves for  wrongs  done  them  by  the  Arkansans  while  passing 
through  Southern  Utah. 

The  truth  of  the  matter  is,  that  the  whole  train  was 
doomed  long  before  it  reached  the  Rocky  Mountains ;  for 
as  soon  as  it  was  discovered  by  Some  Mormons  who  made 
their  acquaintance  "  on  the  plains,"  that  there  were  some 
parties  in  the  train  bearing  the  same  names  as  those  of  men 
who  had  engaged  in  hostilities  against  the  Mormons  during 
their  expulsion,  news  was  sent  to  ''headquarters"  in  Salt 
Lake  City. 

It  had  been  rumored  around  to  some  extent,  that  a  "  train 
of  mobocrats  "  would  soon  pass  through  Salt  Lake  City  on 
their  way  to  California,  and  many  of  "  the  feithful "  had  be- 
gun to  swear  vengeance  on  t-hem,  even  weeks  before  their 
arrival. 

Along  came  the  train,  slowly  moving  right  into  the  very 
jaws  of  death  ;  but  not  a  man  in  the  outfit  had  the  slightest 
intimation  of  danger. 

It  was  known  only  to  a  few  at  the  time,  and  it  never  be- 
came at  all  extensively  known  that  a  plot  was  laid  to  "  use 
them  all  up"  before  they  reached  Utah.  In  fact,  there  were 
three  separate  and  distinct  plans  arranged  for  their  massacre 
before  they  entered  Salt  Lake  Valley. 

The  first  one  was  arranged  to  culminate  at  the  Sweetwater 
Crossings,  and  a  party  of  Mormons  and  Indians  watched 
for  three  days  and  nights  for  an  opportunity  to  attack  them 
to  advantage ;  but  the  plan  was  abandoned  on  account  of 
the  large  number  of  men  in  the  train,  and  the  excellent  man- 
agement of  the  leaders  of  the  train. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  49 

Not  far  from  what  is  now  known  as  Echo  Station,  another 
attempt  was  made,  and  after  similar  investigations,  it  was 
abandoned  for  the  same  reasons. 

The  Danite  and  Indian  forces  were  enlarged,  and  at  the 
foot  of  the  Little  Mountain,  in  Emigration  Canon,  the  third 
attempt  was  made  to  slaughter  the  emigrants,  and  as  this 
seemed  to  be  the  last  chance  before  they  should  enter  the 
Salt  Lake  Valley,  we  made  some  desperate  efforts  to  ''  obey 
our  orders." 

It  was  found  impossible  to  make  a  "good  job  of  it,"  as  we 
had  been  told  to  do,  and  a  few  of  us  rode  in  the  night  to  the 
Presidency  and  reported  our  failure. 

I  shall  never  forget  the  fears  and  anxieties  which  we  en- 
dured after  we  were  told  in  the  Council  that  we  were  "  cow- 
ards, or  it  might  have  been  done  long  ago." 

We  considered  ourselves  fated,  but  next  morning,  at  an 
early  hour,  we  were  awakened  from  our  slumbers  in  a  room 
not  far  from  the  Deseret  News  office,  and  told  by  one  of  the 
clerks  that  we  were  wanted  in  the  President's  office. 

It  appears  that  a  consultation  lasting  through  the  entire 
night  had  been  held  in  the  Historian's  office  near  by,  and  it 
was  finally  decided  that  in  case  a  certain  number  of  us  would 
pledge  ourselves  to  "carry  the  thing  through"  before  the 
train  left  Utah,  we  were  to  be  forgiven. 

While  disguised  as  an  Indian  in  one  of  the  attacks  before 
mentioned,  I  had  been  wounded  in  the  thigh  by  a  bullet 
from  one  of  the  guns  of  the  Arkansans,  and  as  it  was  sug- 
gested that  such  a  pledge  ought  to  be  signed,  it  was  agreed 
on,  and  to  make  the  bond  the  more  impressive,  it  was  ordered 
by  the  Chief  of  the  Council  that  it  be  signed  with  "  blood 
from  that  wound." 

A  pen  which  had  been  used  in  ordinary  ink  (in  fact,  it  was 
one  which  had  been  used  to  indite  a  "  General  Epistle  to  all 
the  Saints  throughout  the  World,"  as  I  remember  seeing  the 
document  lying  on  a  table  in  the  room)  was  pressed  into  the 
wound,  and  a  sufficient  quantity  of  ink  adhered  to  write  one 
of  the  names,  and  so  on  the  process  was  repeated  until  that 
terrible  compact  was  sealed. 

While  the  Chief  was  sealing  the  envelope  containing  this 
document,  we  were  ordered  to  draw  our  bowie-knives,  and 
placing  the  blades  in  contact,  so  that  the  points  were  aimed 


50  THE    CRIMES    OF   THE 

at  the  written  agreement,  we  repeated  in  unison  the  words 
"  By  God  "  three  times,  and  the  "  Mountain  Meadow  Mas- 
sacre" was  "  done  all  but  doing,"  as  the  Chief  laughingly  said. 

Of  course,  we  had  no  idea  at  this  time  just  when  or  where 
we  would  accomplish  the  using  up  of  the  party,  but  while 
it  was  indefinitely  understood  that  somewhere  near  Provo 
might  be  a  good  place,  as  ''  the  lake  might  be  handy,"  it 
was  distinctly  understood — in  fact,  it  was  written  in  our 
pledge — that  ^' their  blood  should  be  shed  on  the  soil  of 
Utah,  as  a  sacrifice  for  the  sins  of  our  enemies." 

We  returned  that  day  to  the  little  camp  in  the  mountains 
which  we  had  left  the  night  previous,  and  there  were  dis- 
banded to  meet  again  at  a  certain  signal. 

Returning  to  the  city,  we  went  on  with  our  usual  avoca- 
tions, and  the  following  day  we  saw  the  long  train  slowly 
crawling  up  on  the  bench,  a  short  distance  south  of  what  is 
now  Fort  Douglas. 

How  lucky  it  would  have  been  for  the  fated  train  if  Fort 
Douglas  had  been  there  then  ! 

They  came  and  passed  gradually  further  south,  and  some 
of  our  party  were  continually  on  the  lookout,  for  the  purpose 
of  ascertaining  all  that  was  necessary  to  our  design. 

It  so  happened  that  some  trifling  disputes  arose  between 
the  members  of  the  train  and  the  Mormon  settlers  along 
the  line  of  travel,  and  a  strong  feeling  of  hatred  grew  up  on 
account  of  these  little  misunderstandings,'  which,  of  course, 
we,  as  the  prime  movers  of  the  enterprise,  did  not  omit  to 
enlarge  upon  in  our  interest. 

As  the  story  has  been  so  often  told,  I  shall  content  myself 
with  the  giving  of  a  few  points  never  before  made  public, 
trusting  to  my  readers  to  find  other  sources  for  details. 

Nine  of  us  had  been  selected,  and  in  our  hands  was  the 
responsibility  of  the  enterprise.  Our  plans  were,  from  the 
nature  of  things,  very  indefinite,  and  about  all  that  really 
was  clear  was  that  we  should  employ  "every  Indian  that 
can  be  trusted." 

We  were  all  "  old  hands  at  the  business,"  and  some  of  us 
could  ^'talk  Injin"  as  well  as  we  could  our  mother  tongue. 

We  were  constantly  on  the  lookout  for  opportunities,  and 
yet  it  seemed  almost  impossible  to  find  a  suitable  place  and 
time. 


LATTER   DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  5 1 

One  thing  was  clear,  and  that  was  that  we  would  have  to 
resort  to  strategy,  and  also  it  appeared  advisable  to  increase 
our  forces  very  materially. 

We  carried  with  us — that -is,  our  Captain  did — certain 
documents,  which  authorized  us  to  call  to  our  assistance  all 
the  military  and  other  aid  which  might  seem  necessary,  and 
accordingly,  as  we  saw  the  crisis  approaching,  the  Captain 
called  on  the  Bishops  and  the  presiding  officers  of  the 
southern  settlements,  and  presenting  his  credentials,  he  was 
at  once  supplied  with  whatever  was  required. 

As  he  has  gone  beyond  all  further  harm,  it  may  not  be 
out  of  place  to  say  that  John  D.  Lee  (the  only  real  name  I 
shall  mention  in  this  book)  was  one  of  the  men  who  came 
to  our  assistance  on  the  influence  of  the  papers  carried  by 
our  Captain. 

He  was  one  of  the  last  men  in  the  world  who  was  at  all 
fitted  to  bear  the  blame  of  that  affair.  His  complicity  was 
of  a  trifling  nature  compared  with  men  who  to-day  live,  and 
some  others  who  have  died  without  punishment. 

In  his  heart  old  John  revolted,  I  believe,  but  of  course  he 
had  to  "  obey  those  orders  from  headquarters,"  which  were 
to  be  seen  by  "  those  intended,  but  handled  by  no  one,  on 
pain  of  death." 

What  a  mystic  force  there  is  in  a  simple  piece  of  paper^ 
when  subscribed  with  names  of  men  in  power  ! 

The  train  at  last  reached  the  spot  which  we  had  selected 
some  days  previously,  and  the  words  "now  or  never"  were 
passed  in  a  whisper  from  one  to  the  other. 

The  Indians  were  very  anxious  to  commence  the  attack, 
as  we  had  promised  them  everything  which  an  Indian  de- 
lights in,  from  whisky  to  "  pretty  white  squaws,"  and  we 
came  very  near  to  failure  on  account  of  their  impetuosity. 

About  forty  Indians  and  nearly  one  hundred  Mormons 
were  engaged  in  the  affair,  and  probably  five  hundred  of  the 
members  of  the  Church,  who  did  not  take  actual  part  in 
the  slaughter,  contributed  willingly  by  the  loaning  of  gunsy 
pistols,  horses,  etc.,  to  those  who  did  the  deed. 

Nothing  in  my  experience  can  equal  the  scene  immedi- 
ately after  the  massacre.  For  a  long  distance  the  whole 
valley  was  covered  with  the  dead  bodies  of  men,  women  and 


52  THE    CRIMES    OF   THE 

children,  presenting  the  most  sickening  and  horrible  sight 
imaginable. 

In  several  instances  the  Indians  captured  women,  and 
after  glutting  their  animal  appetites,  severed  the  heads  of  the 
victims  from  the  bodies,  and  left  them,  in  some  cases,  a  mile 
away  from  the  scene  of  the  massacre. 

Some  of  the  Mormons  even  outdid  the  Indians  in  their 
horrid  lust.  One  of  them,  I  remember,  boasted  to  me  that 
he  had  captured  five  of  the  young  women,  and  forcing  them 
into  a  wagon,  compelled  them  to  submit  to  the  outrages  of 
himself  and  "others  of  the  t>rethren,"  who  afterwards  "shot 
them  through  the  head." 


CHAPTER    XII. 

The  DEGRADATION  OF  WOMEN  IN  Utah.  The  treatment 
of  faultfinders.  Dipped  in  the  pond.  The  brutality 
which  the  degradation  of  women  engenders  in  men. 


A  great  deal  has  been  said  and  written  about  the  de- 
plorable condition  of  the  female  sex  in  Utah,  under  Mor- 
mon influences,  but  it  is  impossible  to  realize  the  actual 
servitude,  and  worse  than  Asiatic  slavery  which  belong  to 
their  condition,  except  by  a  personal  acquaintance  with  all 
the  facts. 

The  reason  for  the  general  ignorance  in  regard  to  the 
miseries  of  these  poor  creatures  is  readily  given  :  it  is  the 
inability  of  the  average  American  mind  to  conceive  of  the 
possibility  of  such  things  existing  in  a  land  blest  like  our 
nation  is,  with  all  the  advantages  of  moral,  political  and 
religious  liberty.  This  natural  disbelief  in  the  statements 
made  precludes  the  investigation  necessary  to  ascertain  the 
facts. 

I  ask  my  readers  to  be  kind  enough  to  remember  that  the 
seeming  improbability  of  any  statement  I  may  make  on  this 
-subject  be  not  allowed  much  weight  in  their  minds,  because 
my  whole  life  has  been  spent  among  these  people,  and  it  is 
impossible  for  me  to  be  mistaken.  Further  than  that, 
unfortunately,  in  my  earlier  experiences,  I  had  as  much  to 
do  with  demoralizing  and  enslaving  women  as  any  other 
man  in  the  Mormon  Church. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  53 

I  am  glad  that  my  eyes  were  opened  before  my  course 
had  been  further  followed,  so  that  I  could,  as  I  have  done, 
make  some  reparation. 

It  is  not  of  myself,  though,  that  I  purpose  to  say  anything, 
but  rather  to  give  a  general  idea  of  the  effects  of  Mormon 
doctrines  upon  the  gentler  sex. 

Isolated  as  we  were,  "  a  thousand  miles  from  anywhere," 
with  the  whole  theory  of  the  Church  entirely  against  the 
natural  instincts  of  womanhood,  it  is  easy  to  understand 
how,  with  a  lecherous  and  avaricious  priesthood,  the  rights 
of  women  evaporated. 

If  a  woman  made  a  complaint  about  anything,  no  matter 
what  its  nature  might  be,  she  was  immediately  silenced  by 
threats  of  bodily  punishment,  which  was  generally  inflicted, 
and  just  in  the  way  that  a  teamster  manages  an  unruly  mule. 

A  pitchfork  handle,  a  club,  a  whip,  or  any  other  convenient 
weapon,  was  used  upon  the  poor  creatures  with  a  ferocity 
which  exceeded  that  of  the  most  violent  overseers  of  the 
slaves  in  the  Southern  States. 

Thousands  of  unborn  children  have  been  slain  in  this 
way  by  the  brutal  treatment  of  the  male  parents,  who  with 
their  heavy  cowhide  boots,  kicked  and  abused  delicate 
women,  to  an  extent  infinitely  beyond  any  brutality  ever 
dealt  out  to  a  worthless  cur. 

A  common  phrase  with  reference  to  these  occurrences 
was  :  "  I  booted  it  out  of  her  ! " 

There  was  no  redress.  The  Bishops  made  it  a  point  to 
refuse  to  listen  to  any  woman's  complaint,  on  the  ground 
that  if  they  did,  "  they  might  do  nothing  else." 

The  Courts  were  entirely  beyond  the  reach  of  any  woman, 
and  even  if  they  had  not  been,  nothing  could  have  been 
gained,  as  generally  the  Bishops  were  the  Judges  also. 

The  last  poor  consolation  of  the  women  was  also  systemat- 
ically taken  from  them,  as  by  the  united  efforts  of  the  male 
sex,  all  opportunity  for  relating  their  personal  troubles  were 
taken  from  the  women,  under  the  most  horrible  threats,  "  if 
ever  a  word  of  complaint  came  to  their  hearing." 

On  one  occasion,  I  remember,  a  certain  Mrs.  Hannah 
Jones,  a  very  kind-hearted  woman,  had  listened  with  sym- 
pathy to  the  relation  of  the  troubles  and  trials  of  a  near 
neighbor,  and  she,  without  a  thought  of  the  consequences, 


54  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

repeated  the  statements  to  one  who  carried  the  news  to  the 
husband  of  the  complainant. 

He  at  once  demanded  satisfaction;  and  Mrs.  Jones  was 
told  that  as  he  was  "responsible  for  the  actions  of  his 
woman,"  something  must  be  done  by  him  to  set  an  example 
"to  the  other  darned  fool  women." 

Mr.  Jones  gently  remonstrated  with  his  wife,  but  she  de- 
clared that  what  she  said  "was  so,"  and  she  "didn't  care." 

Jones  the  next  day  related  this  to  the  parties  in  interest, 
and  after  asking  him  what  he  proposed  to  do  about  it,  and 
his  replying  that  "he  couldn't  do  anything  else,"  he  w^as 
assured  that  "  her  case  shall  be  attended  to." 

That  night  Mr.  and  Mrs.  Jones  were  suddenly  aw^akened 
by  being  rudely  dragged  out  of  bed  by  a  party  of  men,  who 
never  spoke  a  word,  but  proceeded  to  bind,  hand  and  foot, 
the  two  terrified  victims. 

As  soon  as  they  were  secured,  a  gag,  made  out  of  a  corn- 
cob, was  placed  in  the  mouth  of  each,  and  the  door  opened 
to  admit  a  woman  who  was  in  her  night-clothes,  and  also 
gagged  and  bound,  but  her  lower  limbs  were  free,  so  as  to 
allow  her  to  walk. 

Mr.  Jones  was  thrown  on  the  bed,  and  a  rope  secured  him 
firmly  to  the  bedstead,  when  the  two  women  were  tied  to- 
gether with  a  rope,  which  had  a  slip-noose  at  either  end.  It 
was  thrown  over  the  head  of  each,  and  pulled  tightly  around 
the  neck. 

A  man  with  a  gun  was  left  to  watch  the  husband  who  was 
tied  to  the  bedstead,  and  the  women  were  marched  away 
without  a  word. 

The  women  recognized  one  another,  and  seemed  to  un- 
derstand the  situation,  but  being  unable  to  speak,  they  could 
not  explain  their  feelings  to  each  other. 

There  were  four  men  in  charge  of  them,  all  of  them,  like 
the  one  left  on  guard,  armed  with  pistols  and  guns,  and  their 
faces  were  masked  beyond  all  recognition. 

They  forced  the  women  to  march  across  a  stubble  field 
and  over  rocks,  through  willows  and  mud,  and  then  across 
a  sagebrush  country  nearly  a  mile,  to  a  small  lake,  which,  as 
soon  as  they  reached,  foretold  the  fate  of  the  women,  who 
each  had  heard  of  similar  occurrences  to  that  which  they 
now  saw  was  in  store  for  them. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  55 

The  women  simultaneously  fell  on  their  knees  to  beg  for 
their  release,  but  their  misery  elicited  no  sympathy  from  the 
men  who  had  been  selected  to  attend  to  the  affair. 

Mrs.  Jones  was  thrown  on  her  back,  and  then  securely 
tied  to  a  clump  of  willows  which  grew  near  the  edge  of  the 
pond. 

The  men  then  seized  the  other  woman  (she  who  had  given 
Mrs.  Jones  the  details  of  her  misery),  and  after  tying  a  rope 
securely  around  her  ankles,  they  threw  her  head-first  into  the 
pond,  which  at  that  point  was  about  ten  feet  deep. 

Many  a  time  since  then  have  I  stood  on  that  very  spot, 
and  pictured  to  myself  that  scene  ! 

They  imniediately  pulled  her  out,  and  leaving  her  to  re- 
cover as  best  she  might,  they  seized  Mrs.  Jones  and  threw 
her  into  the  pond  in  the  same  manner. 

The  rope  slipped  off  one  of  her  feet,  and  becoming  en- 
tangled with  some  weeds  in  the  bottom  of  the  pond,  the 
foot  which  was  free  held  her  under  the  water  so  long  that 
the^men  became  somewhat  alarmed ;  but  by  *^  main  strength 
and  awkwardness,"  as  one  of  them  afterward  said,  they 
managed  to  pull  her  out. 

For  a  few  minutes  the  two  women,  lying  on  the  shore  of 
the  little  lake,  seemed  like  two  corpses  just  drawn  from 
watery  graves. 

Signs  of  returning  consciousness  being  manifested,  one  of 
the  men  pulled  from  his  pocket  a  tin  tube  some  two  inches 
in  diameter  and  about  a  foot  long,  and  placing  it  to  his 
mouth,  so  as  to  disguise  his  voice,  he  asked  the  two  women : 
**  Will  you  keep  your  damned  mouths  shut,  and  stop  finding 
fault  with  your  husbands  after  this  ? "  And  then  to  Mrs. 
Jones  he  said  :  "  You  old  cat !  you  don't  want  any  more  of 
this,  and  I  guess  you'll  behave  yourself 

The  women  made  signs  of  every  kind  to  assure  the  men 
of  their  utmost  obedience  hereafter,  and  finally  they  were 
ordered  to  return  to  their  homes,  and  "  say  nothing  about 
this  midnight  baptizing  ;  d'ye  hear  ?  " 

The  younger  woman  had  a  beautiful  form,  and  the  single 
garment,  clinging  as  closely  as  the  skin  itself,  revealed  its 
every  detail. 

The  men  in  turns  toyed  with  her  person  as  they  drove  the 
women  along,  and  for  every  lustful  touch  with  the  hand 


56  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

which  the  younger  received,  the  old  lady  received  a  kick 
with  the  heavy  boot  of  one  of  the  men,  who  told  her  he  did 
it  to  keep  her  "from  being  jealous." 

At  last  they  reached  the  house  of  Mr.  Jones,  and  the 
guard  inside  was  ordered  to  release  him. 

The  ropes  were  taken  from  Mrs.  Jones,  and  with  a  brutal 
kick,  she  was  hurled  headlong  into  the  house,  and  full  length 
on  the  floor. 

They  were  told  that  if  they  made  the  least  alarm  for  five 
■  hours,  a  guard  who  was  to  remain  would  "  blow  their  brains 
out." 

The  younger  woman  was  then  denuded  of  her  only  gar- 
ment, and  leaving  the  gag  in  her  mouth,  with  her  hands  tied 
together,  the  men  told  her  to  "  Git ! " 

They  chased  her  for  about  half  a  mile,  occasionally  strik- 
ing her  with  small  willows,  with  which  they  had  provided 
themselves,  and  then  they  left  her  to  make  her  way  home  as 
best  she  could. 

A  month  afterwards  she  gave  birth  to  a  child,  who  to  this 
day  has  never  been  made  acquainted  with  the  brutal  treat- 
ment of  his  mother,  although  he  has  now^  reached  manhood. 

It  is,  perhaps,  the  best  possible  commentary  to  mention 
the  fact  that  the  son  stands  high  in  the  estimation  of  the 
priesthood,  while  the  mother  seems  to  be  more  staunch  than 
ever  in  her  devotion  to  this  beastly  Church. 

At  this  late  date,  though,  I  can  readily  understancj  that 
even  if  the  poor  woman  should  feel  at  any  time  tempted  to 
disclose  her  maltreatment,  her  life  would  be  endangered. 

Undoubtedly,  she  knows  this  fact  as  well  as  I  do. 

When,  oh,  when  will  this  horrid  institution  of  Mormonism 
receive  its  just  reward  ? 


CHAPTER   XIII. 

The  commercial  influence  of  Mormonism.  The  traps 
and  pit-falls  set  for  the  feet  of  offenders.  The  tragedy. 
The  female  Mormon.     "  Fed  to  the  hogs." 


One  very  interesting  feature  of  Mormonism,  and  one  in 
which  we  are  all  more  or  less  interested,  in  a  financial  sense, 
is  the  commercial  influence  which  the  priests  wield  in  con- 
nection with  their  so-called  religions  duties. 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  57 

No  matter  who  comes  into  the  community,  and  regardless 
of  the  inducements  he  may  offer  in  regard  to  the  quality 
and  price  of  his  wares,  it  is  almost  impossible  to  do  any 
business,  because  of  the  fearful  penalties  attached  to  the 
"trading  with  gentiles." 

In  any  other  part  of  this  great  country,  a  man  is  free  to 
trade,  free  to  do  any  kind  of  business,  free  to  speculate  in 
any  commodity,  untrammeled  by  any  church,  or  the  priests 
of  any  organization.  Nowhere  on  the  American  continent 
does  the  influence  of  any  religious  sect  attempt  to  interfere 
with  the  secular  affairs  of  the  people,  and  in  no  case  does  a 
church  prevent  its  members  trading  with  those  not  of  its 
faith,  except  in  priest-ridden,  down-trodden  Utah. 

Out  in  a  successful  farming  district,  a  clever  young  man 
sees  a  fair  prospect  for  business,  and  after  making  some  in- 
quiries in  regard  to  the  amount  of  grain  raised,  and  generally" 
the  extent  and  character  of  the  dealings  of  the  people  of 
that  section,  he  conceives  the  idea  of  opening  a  store. 

Alone,  or  in  company  with  other  energetic  companions, 
he  embarks  in  the  new  enterprise,  only  to  reap  disaster. 

There  is  no  more  chance  to  do  a  successful  trading  busi- 
ness with  such  people  than  there  is  to  sell  goods  to  the 
buffaloes  on  the  prairie. 

The  people,  under  the  instructions  of  their  priests,  will 
buy  everything  of  you  that  you  will  credit  them  with,  but 
they  never  pay  you.  In  this  particular  they  are  the  most 
dishonest  and  treacherous  people  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 
They  will  use  every  conceivable  artifice  to  entrap  you  into 
opening  an  account  with  them,  and  after  prevailing  on  your 
sympathies,  will  in  the  end  insult  you  when  you  try  to  get  a 
settlement  with  them. 

The  only  thing  to  do,  in  a  case  of  this  kind,  is  to  bear 
your  burdens  easily,  for  if  you  go  before  a  court,  you  will 
be  sure  to  meet,  both  in  the  judge  and  the  jury,  men  who 
have  sworn  to  be  avenged  on  you  and  the  class  you  repre- 
sent, and  it  is  impossible  to  get  justice. 

In  many  cases  your  life  will  be  endangered  by  endeavor- 
ing to  collect  an  account  of  any  of  the  Mormon  people. 

I  have  in  my  remembrance  an  instance  bearing  on  this 
point,  which  I  will  relate,  as  it  occurs  to  me  that  sample 
cases  tell  more  than  a  mere  generalization. 


58  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

Two  young  men,  whose  names  shall  be  John  Fisher  and 
Thomas  Hunter,  opened  a  store  in  a  settlement  not  far  from 
the  chief  city  of  Utah,  and  being  of  a  very  pleasant  nature, 
they  soon  built  up  quite  a  thriving  trade. 

No  sooner  was  it  discovered  that  these  young  men  (both 
of  whom  had  left  the  Mormon  Church  some  years  before) 
were  selling  a  considerable  quantity  of  merchandise,  than 
the  Bishop  of  the  town  began  to  lay  plans  for  their  destruc- 
tion. 

They  were  model  young  men  in  every  respect,  but  it  was 
said  that  young  Hunter  had  joined  the  Methodist  Church, 
or  in  some  manner  had  associated  himself  therewith,  and 
that  was  sufficient  to  condemn  the  firm.  In  addition  to  the 
fact  that  they  did  not  belong  to  the  Mormon  Church,  it  was 
discovered  that  this  young  man  was  a  thorough  Christian, 
which,  in  the  eyes  of  a  Mormon,  is  a  crime  greater  than  the 
stealing  of  horses. 

Accordingly,  a  deeper  plot  seemed  necessary  than  is  ap- 
plicable to  the  punishment  of  ordinary  "  interlopers,"  as  such 
men  are  generally  called,  and  often  with  some  very  inelegant, 
though  forcible,  prefixes. 

One  Monday  morning,  just  as  these  young  men  were 
about  to  commence  their  weekly  labors,  a  rough  specimen 
^•of  the  class  of  Mormons  known  as  "Danites"  rode  up  to 
the  door  of  the  store  and  asked  for  "Tom  Hunter." 

He  was  immediately  introduced  by  his  young  partner, 
when  the  following  colloquy  ensued : 

Danite. — "Your  name's  Tom  Hunter,  is  it  ?" 

Hunter. — "Yes,  sir." 

Danite. — "  Well,  by ,  you  take  it  cool !    Do  you  know 

who  I  am  ?  " 

Hunter. — "  No,  sir,  I  do  not.  But  what  do  you  mean  by 
taking  it  cool?     I  don't  understand  you." 

Danite. — "  You  seduced  my  sister, you  ! " 

At  this  point  Fisher  endeavored  to  explain,  declaring  that 
there  was  a  mistake  somewhere.  He  said  it  was  impossible 
that  the  statement  could  be  true,  and  coolly  gave  several 
reasons  to  support  his  statement. 

Hunter  was  very  much  annoyed,  but  feeling  assured  that 
the  man  had  made  some  terrible  blunder,  he  quietly  asked : 

"  Who  is  your  sister,  sir  ?  " 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  59 

Danite. — "You  know,  you gentile  !    My  name 

is  Bill  Robson,  and  the  girl's  name  is  Sally.  You  know  all 
about  it ; "  and  for  the  purpose  of  emphasizing  this  state- 
ment, he  drew  a  bow^ie-knife,  and  plunged  it  clear  through 
the  lid  of  a  cracker-box  which  lay  near  him. 

Hunter. — "You  seem  to  be  very  much  excited,  as  is  quite 
natural,  under  the  circumstances,  but  I  can  assure  you  that 
you  are  entirely  mistaken." 

Danite. — "Am  I?  We'll  see  about  that;"  and  looking 
outside,  he  beckoned  two  men  who  had  just  arrived  on 
horseback,  and  they  immediately  dismounted  and  tied  their 
horses  to  a  post  in  front  of  the  door. 

The  store  was  a  short  distance  from  the  more  thickly- 
populated  part  of  the  little  town,  and  at  this  hour  there 
seemed  to  be  no  one  stirring,  so  that  these  occurrences 
attracted  no  attention. 

It  is  not  at  all  unlikely,  however,  that  all  the  "faithful" 
knew  well  what  was  about  to  occur,  and  if  they  did,  they 
had  been  too  well  trained  to  notice  anything.' 

Bill,  addressing  one  of  the  men,  said  :  "  Sal,  take  off  your 
toggery,  and  let  this  fellow  see  who  you  are."  Immediately, 
the  taller  one  of  the  two  who  had  just  arrived,  pulled  off 
her  slouch  hat,  and  threw  down  on  to  the  floor  a  man's 
coat,  and  Sally  Robson  stood  before  them. 

The  upper  portion  of  her  frame  was  clothed  with  the 
ordinary  dress  of  her  sex,  but  she  wore  a  pair  of  pants  and 
boots  belonging  to  her  brother. 

"Sal,"  said  Bill,  "this  damned  Methodist  denies  that 
he  ever  had  anything  to  do  with  you."  At  this  moment 
young  Fisher  endeavored  to  secure  a  gun  that  was  standing 
in  the  corner,  but  Bill  was  too  keen  for  him,  and  with  a 
quick  motion,  he  thre^v  the  young  man  to  the  ground  and 
raised  his  knife  as  if  to  cut  Fisher's  throat. 

"  Sal,  what  do  you  say  ?  Did  he  do  it  ?  Speak  quick 
now.     Did  he  ?  " 

"  Yes,  he  did,  damn  him  !  and  I  hate  him  ! "  said  Sal. 

"Well,"  said  Bill,  "you  know  what  you  ought  to  do  to 
him.     Do  it !    Do  it ' "  cried  Bill,  as  she  seemed  to  hesitate. 

Harry  Sykes,  the  companion  of  the  woman,  rushed  at 
young  Hunter,  and  with  a  blow  that  would  have  felled  an  ox, 
struck  him  over  the  head  with  the  butt  of  a  revolver. 

5 


6o  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

Fisher  endeavored  to  rise,  but  Bill  held  ^him  firmly  to  the 
ground,  with  the  knife  at  his  throat. 

The  woman  drew  a  long  knife  from  her  belt,  and  at  a 
signal  from  Bill,  and  right  before  the  eyes  of  his  helpless 
partner,  she  plunged  the  knife  into  the  abdomen  of  the 
prostrate  man,  and  by  the  assistance  of  Sykes,  a  gash  was 
made  from  which  the  intestines  gushed  out. 

Laughingly,  Sykes  said  :  "  If  we  just  had  some,  hogs  here, 
it  would  be  complete,"  referring  to  the  Endowment  House 
penalty — "  the  cutting  out  of  the  entrails  and  feeding  them 
to  the  hogs  " — the  fate  of  one  who  divulges  the  secrets  of 
the  Mormon  Church. 

The  girl  was  horrified  at  her  deed,  and  almost  fainted 
when  she  realized  what  she  had  done.  Bill  stepped  forward 
to  catch  her,  and  thus  gave  young  Fisher  a  chance  to 
escape. 

He  rushed  out  of  the  open  doorway,  and  screaming  at  the 
top  of  his  voice,  he  ran  like  a  deer  toward  the  nearest 
house. 

Bill  observed  this  at  once,  and  mounting  his  horse,  he 
caught  up  with  Fisher  before  going  more  than  an  eighth  of 
a  mile,  and  with  a  dextrous  swing  of  a  lariat,  soon  made 
the  young  man  a  prisoner. 

*' You  infernal  fool !"  said  Bill,  "we  meant  to  let  you  go, 
but  now  your  goose  is  cooked;"  and  regardless  of  the  young 
man's  struggles.  Bill  rode  his  horse  at  a  lively  pace,  and 
dragged  young  Fisher  behind  him. 

When  they  reached  the  store,  Sally,  assisted  by  her  boon 
companion,  had  re-adjusted  her  disguise,  and  they  were 
awaiting  the  command  of  Bill. 

The  two  men  dragged  Fisher  into  the  store,  and  in  a  few 
minutes  the  two  partners,  one  dead  and  the  other  living, 
were  tied  together  with  the  lariat,  while  Sally  was  scattering 
coal-oil  from  a  five-gallon  can,  which  stood  for  retail  near 
the  open  door. 

Sykes,  seeing  a  twenty-five-pound  canister  of  gunpowder 
under  the  counter,  placed  it  near  the  two  men,  and  regard- 
less of  the  entreaties  of  Fisher,  he  ignited  some  dry  goods 
which  had  been  thoroughly  soaked  with  the  oil,  and  coolly 
closed  the  door. 


LATTER  DAY  SAINTS  IN  UTAH.  6 1 

The  three  mounted  their  horses,  and  by  the  time  they 
had  ridden  half  a  mile,  the  whole  building  was  enveloped  in 
flames. 

They  waited  a  few  minutes,  and  were  somewhat  anxious 
to  know  ^  the  result,  as  the  people  of  the  little  town  were 
running  in  all  directions,  crying  "  Fire  !  Fire  !  Fire  !" 

At  last  a  loud  explosion  was  heard,  and  the  three  knew 
that  all  traces  had  been  removed,  for  they  could  see  that 
nothing  but  a  few  fragments  remained. 

It  was  reported  that  the  store  had  caught  fire  in  some 
unaccountable  way,  but  the  ignorant  Mormons  did  not  fail 
to  believe  that  the  burning  of  the  "  gentile  outfit "  was  the 
work  of  the  Lord. 

Our  next  chapter  will  give  the  "  true  inwardness  "  of  this 
affair. 


CHAPTER   XIV. 

An  apostle's  wife.  The  Presidentess  of  a  "Female  Re- 
lief Society."  Pre-natal  influence.  How  they  cover 
up  tracks.     The  influence  of  Mission  Churches. 


Harry  Sykes  was  the  son  of  a  Bishop  of  a  neighboring  set- 
tlement, and  true  to  the  instincts  of  his  lecherous  father,  who 
was  the  proprietor  of  five  buxom  women  of  three  or  four 
different  nationalities,  he  had  made  himself  very  officious* 
among  the  young  sisters,  and  as  a  result  of  his  intimacy, 
several  of  them  were  led  into  trouble. 

He  had  become  so  notorious  in  this  line  that  even  Mor- 
mon sensibilities  were  shocked,  and  the  young  man  had  been 
told  in  the  "Seventies  Quorum,"  to  which  he  belonged,  that 
he  must  reform.  The  advice  given  to  him  was,  to  "  marry 
three  or  four  girls,  and  that  will  keep  you  from  getting  into 
these  scrapes  all  the  time."  Coming,  as  it  did,  directly 
from  the  highest  authority  in  the  "Stake,"  Harry  weighed 
the  advice  in  his  mind,  and  at  times  thought  of  adopting  it, 
but  he  felt  that  such  restraint  might  be  more  or  less  irksome, 
and  he  deferred  marriage. 

Nothing  could  have  saved  him  from  the  vengeance  of  the 
priesthood,  but  the  fact  that  he  was  a  Bishop's  son.  Harry 
took  advantage  of  this  fact,  and  continued  his  wild  pranks, 


62  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

until  he  was  caught  in  a  dilemma  which  seemed  too  great 
for  even  his  strategy  to  escape  from. 

It  came  about  in  this  wise  :  A  member  of  the  "  Twelve 
Apostles  "  became  enamored  of  a  young  girl  whose  beauty 
had  fascinated  him,  and  he  had  arranged  to  make  her  his 
seventh  wife.  All  went  along  smoothly  until  the  apostle,  . 
just  before  the  intended  marriage  ceremony,  discovered  that 
the  girl  was  enceinte.  He  demanded  the  origin  of  the  em- 
bryotic  stranger,  and  the  girl  pleaded  hard  to  be  excused 
from  disclosing  the  fact. 

The  girl  endeavored  by  every  means  to  avoid  further  talk 
on  the  subject,  until  her  ancient  admirer  declared  he  would 
expose  her  to  the  "  Saints  throughout  the  world,"  and  in 
addition,  he  threatened  to  have  her  "  destroyed  in  the  flesh." 
She  finally  persuaded  him  to  allow  her  a  week  in  which  to 
decide  upon  her  course,  and  at  the  end  of  that  time  she  said 
she  would  "tell  it  all." 

The  apostle  appeared  promptly  on  time,  and  the  grief- 
stricken  girl  confessed  to  him  that  Tom  Hunter,  the  gentile 
trader  of  an  adjoining  settlement,  was  the  father  of  the  un- 
born.    His  fate  w^as  at  once  decided. 

In  casting  around  to  find  suitable  parties  to  "attend  to  the 
case,"  the  brother  of  the  girl  was  the  first  one  thought  of,  as 
the  Mormon  law  makes  it  the  duty  of  the  brother  to  slay  the 
.reducer  of  his  sister.  It  happened  jusfright  in  this  case,  for 
the  brother  was  an  experienced  hand  in  such  matters.  He 
had  never  before  had  occasion  to  avenge  a  sister,  but  his 
bloodthirsty  nature,  had  brought  him  to  the  front  in  many 
cases  which  had  stained  his  hands  with  the  blood  of  his 
fellow-man. 

The  girl  of  whom  I  now  speak  was  none  other  than  Sally 
Robson,  and  the  apostle  was  one  who  has  since  proven  a 
very  important  factor  in  the  "  Mormon  Problem." 

Bill  Robson  that  day  received  orders  to  "put  out  of  the 
w^ay  "  the  young  man.  Hunter.  He  was  delighted  with  the 
task,  and  Harry  Sykes  soon  declared  his  willingness  to  be 
<'in  at  the  death." 

The  two  men  accordingly  arranged  their  plans,  and  when 
everything  was  in  readiness,  the  apostle  and  the  Bishop  gave 
them  the  "blessing  of  Abraham,  Isaac  and   Jacob,"  and 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  63 

assured  them  that  their  efforts  should  be  crowned  with 
success. 

The  taking  of  the  girl  with  them  was  an  afterthought,  and 
in  accordance  with  the  suggestion  of  Harry  Sykes.  The 
father  of  Harry  was  delighted  to  think  that  his  son  should 
be  "the  honored  instrument  in  the  hands  of  the  Lord,  for 
the  carrying  out  of  His  purposes."  He  declared,  on  the 
Sunday  prior  to  the  occurrences  of  the  last  chapter,  that 
"  God  has  set  his  hand  to  the  cleaning  of  the  inside  of  the 
platter,  and  the  dirty  gentiles  had  better  get  out  of  our  midst." 

Privetely,  he  rejoiced  over  the  fine  opportunity  presented 
to  his  son  to  redeem  favor  with  the  authorities,  as  at  times 
he  had  felt  a  little  insecure,  as  the  continued  recklessness  of 
Harry  was  made  the  subject  of  the  "  Priesthood  Meetings." 

Tha  result  of  the  raid  of  Bill  Robson,  Harry  Sykes  and 
the  girl,  Sally,  has  been  narrated,  and  now^  comes  the  secret 
of  the  whole  affair.  The  seducer  and  the  father  of  the  in- 
nocent unborn  was  none  other  but  Harry  Sykes,  the  son  of 
the  Bishop.  His  association  in  this  affair  was  for  the  pur- 
pose of  screening  himself  from  the  anger  of  the  offended 
apostle,  and  the  whole  scheme  had  been  arranged  by  him 
to  that  end. 

Sally  was  equally  anxious  to  do  anything  which  might  pal- 
liate her  offense  in  the  eyes  of  the  Church ;  hence  her  im- 
plicit obedience  to  the  instructions  of  her  paramour.  They 
considered  themselves  very  fortunate  in  being  able  to  place 
the  burden  of  their  guilt  upon  the  unoffending  young  gen- 
tile. By  it  Harry  escaped  the  responsibility  of  his  last  ad- 
venture, and  made  it  a  stepping-stone  to  a  high  place  in  the 
Church,  while-  she,  by  her  zeal  in  avenging  her  dishonor,  had 
made  herself  a  heroine  among  the  faithful  ''  Latter  Day 
Saints." 

Having  gone  thus  far  into  the  incidents  in  the  life  of  Sally 
Robson,  I  will  proceed  a  little  further,  and  show  the  result 
of  her  "  devotion  to  the  Church  of  God. 

The  apostle  did  not  care  to  ally  himself  with  her  at  that 
time,  and  accordingly  he  told  her  that  although  he  had  a 
very  great  deal  of  sympathy  for  her,  he  had  received  a  reve- 
lation concerning  her,  which  bade  him  not  to  marry  her 
until  the  Lord  should  so  command  him. 


64  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

Realizing  her  freedom,  the  intimacy  between  herself  and 
young  Sykes  continued. 

At  the  birth  of  her  child,  Sally  Robson  was  the  recipient 
of  every  attention,  and  her  name  was  in  the  mouth  of  every 
Mormon,  old  and  young,  within  a  hundred  miles  of  the 
occurrence.  It  was  suggested  that  the  baby  should  be 
strangled,  and  the  Bishop  went  so  far  as  to  say  in  public, 
that  if  he  had  his  way,  he  would  see  that  it  was  "hung, 
drawn  and  quartered ; "  but  he  said  he  knew  that  the  moth- 
er's feelings  were  strong,  and  "the  Lord  knows  best." 

About  a  year  afterwards  Harry  Sykes  married  Sally  Rob- 
son,  and  for  several  years  he  lived  happily  with  her,  and  all 
the  women  said  that  he  was  "  as  kind  to  the  gentile's  baby 
as  if  it  was  his  own." 

Harry  married  several  other  wives,  and  finally  died,  when 
Sally  was  united  to  the  old  apostle,  who  had  been  so  smitten 
with  her  years  before.  She  is  now  one  of  the  chief  movers 
m  the  "  Female  Relief  Society,"  and  a  fervent  advocate  of 
the  "  Celestial  Law  of  Marriage." 

Her  son,  upon  whom  her  horrible  murder  of  young  Hunter 
was  pre-natally  photographed,  is  now  one  of  the  many  terrible 
young  hoodlums  of  Salt  Lake  City.  His  record  is  an  unen- 
viable one,  as  he  has  been  imprisoned  seyeral  times,  and  has 
been  suspected  of  assassination  at  least  once,  with  every 
probability  of  deep  complicity,  but  his  shrewdness  caused 
his  escape. 

The  incident  of  the  burning  of  the  store  of  Hunter  and 
Fisher  would  be  remembered  immediately,  were  I  to  give 
one  or  two  more  details ;  but  I  forbear,  as  I  have  no  desire, 
in  this  book,  to  say  anything  further  than  what  I  deem  suf- 
ficient to  awaken  a  genuine  interest  in  some  of  these  inci- 
dents. In  a  future  work  I  shall  give  names,  dates  and  local- 
ities in  corroboration  of  what  I  now  relate,  in  addition  to 
much  which  I  shall  not  even  hint  at  in  this  volume.  In 
regard  to  the  disappearance  of  the  young  men,  the  explana- 
tion was  given  that  they  had  told  several  of  their  friends 
that  business  in  that  town  did  not  pay,  and  that  they  in- 
tended to  go  to  the  mines  in  Bamack.  Bishop  Sykes  was 
authority  for  the  fact  that  they  were  last  seen  on  horseback, 
"going  to  the  mines,"  and  he  supposed  "they  had  locked 
up  the  store  and  left  a  lamp  burning,  and  it  must  have  ex- 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  65 

ploded,  setting  fire  to  everything."  They  were  accordingly 
added  to  the  long  list  of  "  missing,"  and  their  most  intimate 
friends  only  *' suspected  foul  play." 

All  these  details  I  received  from  Harry  Sykes,  who  was  a 
very  intimate  acquaintance  of  mine,  in  return  for  confidential 
revelations  on  my  part.  Of  the  truth  there  can  be  no  possi- 
ble question,  and  I  withhold  some  of  the  most  disgusting 
details,  for  decency's  sake. 

Of  Bill  Robson  it  is  not  necessary  to  say  much  in  this 
connection,  although  he  has  attained  a  national  reputation 
among  all  who  have  ever  given  any  attention  to  the  doings 
of  the  "  Destroying  Angels"  of  the  Mormon  Church. 

I  will  remark,  however,  at  this  point,  that  although  I  never 
put  the  question  plainly  to  him,  I  am  fully  convinced  that  he 
never  knew  other  than  that  Tom  Hunter  was  the  real  seducer 
of  his  sister.  He  has  several  times  told  me  that  he  regretted 
letting  Sally  kill  the  man,  but  he  felt  that,  after  all,  "they 
got  even  on  the  d — d  outfit." 

Although  young  Hunter  was  often  called  a  Methodist,  he 
had  never  joined  any  organization  of  that  nature,  as  the 
Methodist  Church  had  not  then  planted  itself  in  the  heathen 
lands  of  Utah  ;  but  the  young  man  had  used  arguments  in 
favor  of  the  progressive  character  of  that  dread  enemy  of 
Mormonism,  and  he  was  accordingly  hated  as  fervently  as 
the  regularly  ordained  ministers  of  that  and  other  Christian 
Churches,  who  to-day  carry  their  lives  in  their  hands  to 
spread  the  glad  tidings  of  Jesus  in  Utah. 

Often  do  I  ponder  over  the  wonderful  influence  of  the 
true  Gospel,  and  regret  that  the  situation  did  not  warrant 
the  earlier  appearance  of  the  messengers  of  peace,  who, 
though  encumbered  and  harassed  in  every  way,  are  doing  a 
work  which  will  bring  them  a  grand  reward. 

When  I  look  back  to  my  own  earlier  life,  and  remember 
the  many  wrongs  committed  by  me,  I  feel  very  disconso- 
late, and  then,  as  I  to  some  extent  realize  the  disadvantages 
of  being  so  far  removed  from  the  influences  which  in  later 
years  I  trust  have  been  beneficial  to  me,  I  say  :  "  God  bless 
the  many  noble  men  and  women  who  are  preventing  others 
from  treading  the  wicked  paths  into  which  my  feet  were  led  ! " 

Could  the  Christian  people  universally  realize,  as  they 
ought  to  do,  the  great  needs  of  the  Mission  Churches  estab- 


66  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

lished  in  the  very  heart  of  Mormonism,  every  member  would 
pledge  himself  to  aid  the  cause  to  the  utmost  extent  of  his 
ability,  by  contributing  largely  and  continuously,  so  that 
there  should  no  longer  be  felt  the  need  of  money  and  other 
accessories  in  the  regeneration  of  this  modern  Sodom. 


CHAPTER   XV. 

A  DEMAND  FOR  A  LEGISLATIVE  COMMISSION.     Something  for 
Congress  to  ponder  over.     Now  is  the  time  to  settle 
'  the  question,  at  once  and  forever. 


That  the  Government  has  neglected  its  duty  in  regard  to 
the  Utah  imbroglio,  is  beyond  all  question  ;  and  now,  after 
having  allowed  this  alien  organization  to  thrive  and  grow 
until  it  has  become  a  national  menace,  it  is  important  that 
something  of  a  radical  nature  be  immediately  put  in  force. 

There  is  no  security  of  life  or  property  in  any  part  of  the 
Territory  of  Utah.  Any  gentile  who  happens  to  say  a  word 
that  does  not  agree  with  Mormon  philosophy,  is  liable  to 
suffer  at  any  moment  at  the  hands  of  this  band  of  fanatical 
outlaws,  who  think  of  nothing  and  pray  for  nothing  but  the 
blood  of  all  who  are  in  any  sense  opposed  to  them.  A  man 
may  be  as  pure  as  an  angel,  and  conduct  himself  with  the 
utmost  propriety,  and  yet  he  will  be  regarded  as  a  "  nui- 
sance," to  be  abated  at  the  very  first  opportunity,  unless  he 
becomes  the  slave  of  the  Mormon  Church. 

Every  officer  in  the  government  of  the  Territory  is  a  rabid 
Mormon,  and  he  obtains  his  position  by  virtue  of  having 
committed  murders  and  other  crimes  in  the  interest  of  the 
Church.  You  may  know  a  man,  and  think  favorably  of 
him  as  an  officer  in  many  respects,  and  from  the  treatment 
he  extends  to  you  in  most  particulars,  you  may  consider  him 
a  fair  man,  but  at  heart  he  is  a  criminal,  and  without  excep- 
tion he  is  constantly  plotting  against  your  interests  and  even 
your  life,  because  he  has  sworn  so  to  do  in  the  "  Endowment 
House." 

There  never  was  a  man  elected  or  appointed  to  any  office 
in  the  Territory,  who  had  not  tied  himself  to  the  Church  by 
the  commission  of  some  crime,  at  the  bidding  of  the  leaders 
of  the  Church.     Th€re  is  no  chance  for  any  Mormon  to 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  67 

obtain  political  prominence  unless  he  murder  a  gentile,  or 
do  something  which  endears  him  to  the  priesthood,  as  one 
who  can  be  depended  upon  to  perform  any  kind  of  dirty 
work  which  may  be  needed  in  the  furtherance  of  the  plans 
of  Mormonism. 

From  a  pohceman  to  a  legislator,  the  rule  holds  good. 
None  are  elected  or  appointed  for  their  fitness  for  the  posi- 
tion, but  in  consideration  of  the  value  of  the  services  ren- 
dered in  furthering  the  villainy  of  the  priests,  who  rule  the 
Territory  with  a  "  rod  of  iron." 

Congress  can  certainly  no  longer  hesitate,  for  the  facts 
have  been  so  thoroughly  and  ably  set  forth  in  the  many  able 
articles  emanating  from  the  vigorous  and  thoroughly  patriotic 
pens  at  work  on  the  gentile  papers  of  the  Territory,  that 
there  is  no  longer  an  excuse. 

Martial  law  should  at  once  be  declared,  or  the  entire  con- 
trol of  the  political  affairs  taken  from  the  Mormons  who  now 
rule,  and  placed  in  the  hands  of  loyal  American  citizens. 
Let  Congress  enact  a  legislative  commission  of  nine  or  thir- 
teen patriotic  men,  who  are  known  to  be  free  from  Mormon 
contamination,  and  give  to  them  complete  control  of  all  the 
affairs  of  Utah.  Let  there  be  no  laws  enacted  by  the  Mor- 
mon Legislature,  and  no  interference  in  any  way  with  such  a 
commission  as  is  proposed,  and  the  whole  Mormon  question 
can  be  settled  in  a  short  time. 

It  might  not  be  amiss  to  hang  a  few  of  the  leading  apostles 
to  the  telegraph  poles  on  the  main  streets,  and  let  them  swing 
there  as  an  example  to  others  who  dare  to  advocate  this  filthy 
and  soul-degrading  religion. 

Give  to  this  body  of  loyal  men  who  shall  compose  the 
commission  unlimited  power  to  adjust  all  difficulties  which 
may  arise  with  reference  to  all  the  manifold  phases  of  Mor- 
monism. The  right  to  vote  and  the  right  of  trial  by  jury 
should  be  immediately  taken  from  an  organized  banditti 
such  as  the  Mormon  priesthood  is  and  ever  has  been. 

If  a  large  fund  of  money  be  ^placed  at  the  disposal  of  this 
•commission,  every  polygamous  wife  in  the  Territory  would 
feel  herself  free  to  leave  her  lecherous  spouse,  knowing  that 
she  would  be  supported  and  assisted  in  caring  for  her  ille- 
gitimate offspring,  instead  of  being  compelled,  as  that  class 


68  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

now  is,  to  submit  to  the  degradation  and  misery  which  is 
their  lot. 

To  enforce  the  decrees  of  this  commission,  a  large  body 
of  United  States  soldiers  should  be  stationed  at  Fort  Doug- 
las, and  not  less  than  two  regiments  should  be  quartered  in 
the  city  of  Salt  Lake,  prepared  for  any  and  every  emergency. 

The  commission  should  be  composed  of  the  loyal  citizens 
of  Utah,  and  selected  from  the  leading  men  who  have  been 
in  the  front  of  the  fight  since  the  first  resistance  to  Mor- 
monism  was  made.  God  never  made  more  honest,  patriotic 
and  upright  men  than  the  leading  gentiles  of  Salt  Lake  City 
and  other  parts  of  the  Territory.  They  have  unflinchingly 
held  the  fort,  and  defiantly  stood  firm  in  the  defence  of 
virtue,  loyalty  and  all  that  makes  up  American  manhood. 
They  have  worked  without  fear,  favor  or  hope  of  reward, 
and  have  stood  shoulder  to  shoulder  in  dangerous  times 
and  under  the  most  unfavorable  circumstances,  always  de- 
fending and  upholding  the  honor  and  dignity  of  American 
institutions,  in  the  very  heart  of  this  worse  than  African 
slavery  and  lust. 

These  men  should  be  rewarded.  Many  of  them  came  to 
Utah  wealthy,  full  of  life  and  vigor,  and  full  of  that  ines- 
timable patriotism  which  cannot  be  swayed  by  dangers  or 
temptations.  They  set  themselves  earnestly  to  work,  regard- 
less of  every  material  comfort,  and  of  all  that  goes  to  make 
life  pleasant  and  profitable,  for  the  purpose  of  refining  and 
elevating  the  moral  tone  of  the  community,  and  many  a 
patriot  has  paid  for  his  temerity  with  his  heart's  blood. 
Hundreds  have  fallen  at  the  orders  of  the  priesthood,  and, 
stabbed  in  the  back  or  penetrated  with  the  deadly  bullet, 
they  have  found  graves  in  secluded  nooks,  such  as  ravines 
and  other  out-of-the-way  places,  there  to  rest  until  the  day 
of  judgment — until  the  fulfillment  of  that  awful  sentence, 
"Vengeance  is  mine,  and  I  will  repay,  saith  the  Lord." 

With  the  innocent  victims  of  the  Mountain  Meadows  Mas- 
sacre sleep  hundreds  of  others,  who  have  died  martyrs  to  the 
cause  of  America's  principles^ — martyrs  to  the  cause  of  prog- 
ress, of  woman's  elevation  and  social  equality. 

It  is  sickening  to  think  that  in  this  great  country,  based 
as  it  is  on  the  broadest  and  most  enlightened  statecraft  the 
world  ever  possessed,  there  is  in  its  very  heart  a  canker-worm 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  69 

which  is  eating  its  very  vitals ;  a  wolf  gnawing  at  the  life  of 
the  nation ;  a  serpent  stinging  the  hand  of  the  benefactor  of 
the  miserable  creatures  who  make  up  the  great  mass  of  alien 
Mormonism. 

Not  one  in  twenty  knows  anything  of  the  institutions  of 
liberty,  and  nearly  all  of  them  are  slaves  to  the  priesthood, 
to  lust,  ignorance  and  depravity.  A  blight,  a  pestilence,  or 
any  calamity  which  would  depopulate  the  Territory  of  Utah, 
leaving  not  a  Mormon  to  tell  the  tale,  would  be  the  greatest 
blessing  that  an  all-wise  Providence  could  confer  upon  this 
nation. 

The  thousands  of  degraded  women  and  the  illegitimate 
children  would  shout  "Hosannah!"  if  the  Government  of 
the  United  States  would  do  its  simple  duty — crush  out 
every  vestige  of  power  from  every  person  who  claimed  to  be 
a  Mormon,  or  in  sympathy  with  Mormon  institutions. 

There  must  be  no  further  temporizing  with  this  horrible 
monster.  The  honor,  dignity,  peace,  security  and  future 
progress  of  the  United  States  depend  upon  a  speedy  adjust- 
ment of  this  filthy  plague-spot.  It  is  the  seat  of  every  trou- 
ble, and  is  the  progenitor  of  everything  immoral  in  the  whole 
country.  The  numerous  divorces,  the  large  number  of  cases 
of  marital  infidelity,  the  general  social  degradation  of  the 
entire  nation  is  mainly  due  to  the  unhallowed  influence  of 
this  foul  and  diabolical  plot  against  the  virtue  of  women  and 
the  honor  of  our  race. 

So  long  as  any  rights  are  granted  to  a  Mormon,  so  long 
will  the  evil  exist.  They  are  bound  together  by  the  most 
terrible  oaths,  and  the  spirit  of  self-protection  among  them 
is  so  strong  that  mutual  interests  make  them  much  more 
formidable  than  those  who  do  not  know  them  would  ever 
imagine  to  be  possible.  They  must  be  crushed  at  all  haz- 
ards, as  every  day  adds  to  the  complications  and  perplexity 
of  the  situation.  Every  day  simple-minded  women  are  sac- 
rificed on  the  altar  of  lust,  and  their  progeny  cursed  forever. 
Every  day  they  become  bolder,  stronger  and  more  defiant, 
and  less  mindful  of  their  obligations  to  the  parent  govern- 
ment. 

The  curse  of  slavery  has  been  effaced  from  the  national 
history,  and  yet  this  monster,  grinning  defiantly,  is  allowed 
to  feed  and  fatten  upon  the  indecision  of  Congress.     Polyg- 


70  THE    CRIMES    OF    THE 

amy  and  the  attendant  Mormonism  is  so  much  worse  than 
African  slavery,  that  a  comparison  can  hardly  be  instituted. 
It  enslaves  the  heart,  mind,  soul  and  body.  Every  avenue 
of  the  better  part  of  human  nature  is  paralyzed  and  de- 
praved by  the  degrading  lechery  of  concubinage.  The  off- 
spring is  cursed  in  its  mother's  womb,  and  the  result  is,  the 
race  of  Mormon  children  is  a  race  of  devils.  Loathsome  to 
look  upon,  degraded  in  mind  and  heart,  filthy  in  instinct  and 
deficient  in  intellect,  the  United  States  is  caring  for  a  nest  of 
vipers,  which  in  a  short  time  will  insinuate  themselves  into 
the  better  order  of  humanity,  and  poison  the  life-blood  of 
the  universe. 

They  should  be  destroyed,  root  and  branch,  without  mercy. 
It  is  an  awful  thing  to  contemplate  the  destruction  of  a  com- 
munity; but  when  all  peaceable  remedies  have  been  exhaust- 
ed, as  they  have  beerLjn  this  case,  there  is  nothing  left  to  be 
done  but  the  creation  of  a  legislative  commission  to  manage 
them,  without  regard  to  their  whims  and  notions,  or  the  issu- 
ance of  an  order  of  extermination,  and  the  offering  of  a  prize 
for  the  head  of  a  Mormon,  just  as  we  used  to  for  wolf  scalps, 
when  the  beasts  were  so  numerous  as  to  be  a  nuisance. 

All  maudlin  sympathy  should  should  now  be  laid  aside. 
Let  us  look  at  the  matter  coolly,  and  decide  whether  it  is 
not  an  act  of  magnanimity  to  annihilate  them  now,  rather 
than  to  wait  and  allow  them  to  strengthen,  and  make  the 
execution  of  the  necessary  destruction  more  difficult  and 
deplorable. 

The  crisis  has  come ;  we  must  face  it. 

Mormonism  must  go  1 


CHAPTER  XVL 

The  dangers  of  "  prospecting  "  in  Utah.     The  fate  of 
Dennis  and  his  companion.     Pyrites. 


Utah  is  a  rich  and  fertile  section  of  the  United  States. 
It  abounds  with  rich  grain  fields,  fine  water  privileges,  rich 
pasturage  and  valuable  minerals  of  every  kind  and  character. 

It  has  not  been  even  prospected  in  the  agricultural  or 
mineral  resources.  The  Mormons  have  done  everything 
they  could  to  prevent  the  growth  of  the  country,  so  as  to 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  7 1 

keep  out  the  gentiles.  Their  method  of  farming  is  a  farce. 
They  are  constitutionally  lazy,  and  they  consequently  seize 
upon  the  easiest  methods  of  securing  a  crop — whether  poor 
or  liberal  seems  to  be  a  matter  of  small  importance  to  them, 
as  they  have  no  ambition  whatever.  It  would  make  an  in- 
telligent farmer  laugh  to  see  the  silly  and  inappropriate 
methods  in  general  use  among  the  farmers  of  Utah. 

So  long  as  they  do  not  actually  starve  to  death,  they  de- 
clare God  has  blessed  them,  and  at  times  it  would  appear  to 
be  the  case,  for  they  are  not  entitled  to  expect  the  raising  of 
any  crop  under  such  incapable  management. 

Ten  per  cent,  of  the  number  of  gentile  farmers,  on  the 
same  land,  would  produce  more  than  all  the  Mormons,  who 
scratch  and  tinker  on  their  land  like  old  hens,  whose  chick- 
ens get  more  clucking  than  food. 

Their  homes  are  the  very  acme  of  an  exhibition  of  squalid 
poverty.  They  seem  to  have  no  idea  of  the  conveniences 
of  life.  So  long  as  they  get  a  place  to  sleep,  and  enough 
food  to  keep  them  from  starving,  they  praise  Zion  and  thank 
the  Giver  of  All  Good  for  His  mercies. 

In  regard  to  the  mineral  development,  the  Mormons  were 
determined  that  no  person  should  ever  take  out  of  the 
mountains,  or  elsewhere  in  the  Territory,  any  valuable  min- 
erals, because  they  feared  the  influx  of  gentiles.  Many  a 
hardy  miner  has  been  buried  in  his  prospect  hole  and  cov- 
ered up  with  his  dump  to  prevent  the  natural  outgrowth  of 
the  excitement  which  the  discovery  of  valuable  mines  would 
create. 

In  regard  to  the  difficulties  and  dangers  of  mining,  I  will 
relate  an  instance,  which  will  serve  to  illustrate  a  full  line  of 
similar  cases. 

One  Dennis  Flynn  had  driven  a  mule  team  across  the 
plains,  and  although  he  was  a  devout  Catholic,  he  was  a 
wild  kipd  of  a  fellow,  in  that  he  loved  a  little  whisky  and 
delighted  in  singing  an  Irish  song.  He  had  intended  to  go 
through  to  California,  but  it  so  happened  that  the  train  to 
which  he  was  attached  was  partially  sold  out  in  Salt  Lake 
City,  and  Dennis  remained  as  a  consequence  thereof 

Dennis  had  heard  a  good  deal  of  the  good  hunting  which 
was  to  be  had  within  a  few  miles  of  Salt  Lake  City,  and  one 
day  he  purchased  a  rusty  old  *^  yauger  "  of  a  Mormon  gun- 


72  THE    CRIMES    OF   THE 

smith,  who  charged  him  forty-five  dollars.  The  same  kind 
of  a  weapon  could  now  be  purchased  for  a  couple  of  dollars. 
Dennis  started  out  early,  thinking  to  find  a  deer,  and  return 
the  same  evening ;  but  in  wandering  along  in  one  of  the 
canons,  he  lost  himself,  and  remained  alone  in  the  mount- 
ains until  the  next  day. 

Almost  dead  with  hunger  and  exposure,  he  was  returning, 
footsore  and  weary,  when  his  eye  caught  some  glittering  min- 
eral, and  in  a  moment  Dennis  forgot  his  troubles.  Seizing 
his  gun,  he  used  the  stock  as  a  bludgeon,  and  in  a  little  while 
he  had  secured  several  pounds  of  the  coveted  treasure,  and 
stuffing  it  into  his  pockets,  he  resumed  his  march.  He  was 
so  elated  with  the  discovery  that  he  never  thought  to  take 
notice  of  the  location,  so  that  all  he  had  gained  by  his  won- 
derful luck  was  the  small  quantity  which  he  carried  in  his 
pockets. 

As  he  neared  the  city  that  afternoon,  he  was  accosted  by 
a  number  of  Mormon  spies,  who  evidently  suspected  him  of 
some  sinister  design,  but  as  he  quietly  strolled  along,  he  suc- 
ceeded in  gaining  his  lodgings  without  serious  altercation. 

When  he  reached  home,  he  handed  a  small  piece  of  the 
gold  to  the  woman  of  the  house,  telling  her  she  might  keep 
it,  as  he  had  "  plenty  of  it."  Her  face  turned  pale  as  she 
said  :  '^  You  mustn't  say  a  word  about  this,  or  your  life  ain't 
worth  a  cent  here.  Orders  have  gone  out  to  kill  every  man, 
Mormon  or  gentile,  who  finds  any  gold  or  silver  around 
here." 

Dennis  laughed,  but  as  the  woman  repeated  her  w^ords 
and  looked  so  seriously  when  she  said,  "They  killed  my 
poor  brother  Tom  for  the  same  thing,"  that  he  concluded  it 
was  best  to  say  nothing  about  it.  The  next  day,  however, 
when  walking  up  the  main  street  of  the  city,  he  purchased  a 
plug  of  tobacco,  and  pulled  out  a  piece  of  the  gold  to  pay  for 
it.  The  keeper  of  the  little  store — a  Mormon,  of  course — 
asked  him  where  he  got  it.  He  coolly  replied  :  "  Oh,  within 
a  moile  or  two ; "  and  forgetting  all  about  the  matter,  he 
went  about  his  business.  He  had  occasion  to  buy  other 
articles,  and  in  several  other  instances  he  was  questioned 
suspiciously  as  to  where  he  had  procured  it. 

Being  somewhat  annoyed  at  the  continued  questions,  he 
told  one  man  that  it  was  "  nobody's  business."     This  led  to 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  73 

further  talk,  and  before  Dennis  could  realize  the  situation, 
he  was  seized  from  behind  the  counter  and  bound,  hand 
and  foot,  by  a  party  of  Danites,  who  had  been  watching  his 
movements. 

The  poor  fellow  was  soon  rendered  totally  helpless,  and 
pushed  through  a  trap-door  into  the  cellar,  and  guarded  by 
two  men,  who  condescended  to  tell  him  that  he  had  for- 
feited his  life  by  *'  digging  for  gold  against  the  orders  of  the 
Church." 

Dennis  begged  to  be  released,  and  promised  that  he  never 
would  touch  a  bit  of  the  stuff  again ;  but  he  had  to  remain 
until  the  Bishop  of  the  Ward  came,  with  several  of  the  High 
Priests,  and  after  assuring  themselves  that  Dennis  could 
never  find  the  place  again,  they  agreed  to  spare  his  life,  on 
condition  that  he  remained  silent  in  regard  to  his  discovery. 

Accordingly  he  was  allowed  his  liberty,  and  in  a  few  days 
the  thoughts  of  the  treasure  almost  crazed  him.  He  deter- 
mined to  find  the  place  again,  and  accordingly,  after  night- 
fall, he  quietly  sauntered  along  in  the  direction  of  the  canon 
which  he  had  before  explored,  and  having  stowed  away  a 
Uttle  food,  he  vowed  not  to  return  until  he  had  again  feasted 
his  eyes  on  the  treasure. 

Dennis  at  last  found  it,  and  secreting  as  much  as  possible 
about  his  person,  he  erected  piles  of  stones  and  other  signs 
by  which  he  would  be  enabled  to  find  the  spot  again. 

As  he  was  walking  along,  thinking  of  the  many  wonderful 
enterprises  which  he  intended  to  inaugurate  with  the  unlim- 
ited wealth  which  he  had  discovered,  a  bullet  struck  the 
stock  of  his  gun,  and  cut  off^  at  the  same  time  two  of 
the  fingers  of  his  right  hand.  It  had  been  well  aimed  at 
his  head,  but  happened  to  miss  by  only  a  few  inches. 

He  quickly  glanced  in  every  direction,  but  no  one  could 
be  seen,  and  thinking  it  must  have  been  a  stray  missile  fired 
at  a  deer,  he  endeavored  to  stanch  the  flow  of  blood,  and 
quickened  his  pace  so  as  to  get  assistance. 

He  had  gone  but  a  short  distance,  when  another  bullet 
came  flying  past  him,  and  almost  before  he  could  realize  it, 
still  another,  each  of  them  in  dangerous  proximity  to  his 
person.  At  this  juncture  he  yelled,  with  all  his  might:  "  Ye 
bloody  villains  !  phat  are  ye  about  ?  " 


74  I'HE    CRIMES    OF   THE 

The  only  answer  was  another  bullet,  w^hich  suggested  to 
Dennis  the  advisability  of  an  effort  to  screen  himself.  He 
threw  himself  on  the  ground,  and  at  that  instant  another 
bullet  buried  itself  immediately  behind  him. 

Taking  fright  at  these  continual  dangers,  he  ran  toward 
the  mouth  of  the  canon,  and  in  a  few  minutes  the  firing 
ceased,  so  that  he  escaped  further  injury.  When  he  reached 
home,  he  explained  the  loss  of  his  fingers  by  saying  that  his 
gun  went  off  accidentally,  so  that  no  person  knew  of  his  at- 
tempted assassination,  except  those  in  the  plot. 

A  few^  days  afterward,  he  made  a  confidant  of  a  young 
Welshman,  whose  acquaintance  he  had  made  on  the  street, 
and  they  agreed  to  become  "  partners  "  in  everything. 

Together  they  "  prospected  "  for  awhile,  and  then  Dennis 
led  him  to  the  great  discovery.  The  Welshman  expressed 
some  doubts  of  the  value  of  the  mine,  and  endeavored  to 
urge  Dennis  to  go  with  him  to  a  part  of  the  country  where 
the  prospects  were  richer,  but  Dennis  would  not  leave. 

Further  than  this  I  had  no  means  of  learning,  other  than 
than  that  their  dead  bodies  w^ere  found,  filled  with  bullets, 
not  far  from  the  famous  mine,  which  Dennis  had  entitled 
**The  Harp  of  Erin."  A  particularly  intimate  friend  se- 
cured for  me  a  piece  of  paper  which  had  been  nailed  near 
the  place  of  location.     It  read  as  follows  : 

TAIK    NOATIS! 

Theas  tew  fellows  hunted  fer  goald, 

and  they  got  lead  insted. 

Look  out  yew  dam  gentiles 

this  country  belungs  to  us,  and 

hell  akross  lots  is  whot  you  will 

get.     Naa  mining  here. 

by  ordre  of  * 

Dan  and  his  BROxiiERs. 
Look  out !     Talk  notis  !     Look  out ! 

The  original  of  the  above  I  have  in  my  possession,  and 
the  marks  of  bloody  fingers  are  as  plain  now^  as  when,  twenty 
years  since,  the  deed  was  done. 

The  terrible  fate  of  these  poor  fellows  had  the  desired 
effect,  and  prevented  many  others  from  daring  to  attempt 
the  discovery  of  gold  and  silver. 

I  had  occasion  to  visit  the  spot  on  which  the  assassination 
occurred,  and  was  surprised  when  I  finally  saw  that  they  and 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  75 

their  murderers  alike  had  made  the  egregious  blunder  of 
supposing  that  a  great  gold  mine  had  been  discovered,  when 
nothing  was  there  but  iron  pyrites. 

Millions  of  tons  of  this  comparatively  valueless  mineral 
may  be  had  in  the  mountains  of  Utah,  at  about  the  same 
price  as  gravel ;  and  when  I  reflected  on  the  awful  conse- 
quences, the  pyrites  seemed  more  worthless  than  ever. 

The  leaders  of  the  Church  thought  it  was  gold,  and  for 
the  unpardonable  crime  of  mining,  these  men  were  doomed 
to  death  by  the  bloodthirsty  priests,  who  claimed  everything 
for  themselves. 

Oh,  what  horrible  crimes  they  have  committed  !  What 
fearful  retribution  awaits  them  1 

The  Lord  will  smite  them,  hip  and  thigh. 


CHAPTER   XVII.  V 

Encouraging  signs.     The  noble  women  or^mSiA. 

establishment  of  industrial  homes.     A  demand  for  the 
destruction  of  Mormonism,  complete  and  entire. 


At  last,  it  seems,  the  people  of  the  United  States  are  wak- 
ing up  to  a  sense  of  their  responsibilities  with  reference  to 
the  Mormon  question,  and  there  is  strong  showing  of  a  de- 
termination to  wipe  out  this  disgraceful  plague-spot. 

There  is  no  redeeming  quality  in  the  Mormon  Church  or 
its  people,  and  the  folly  of  temporizing  with  this  evil  is  now 
clearly  manifest. 

The  voice  of  the  clergy  is  unanimous  in  declaring  that  the 
military  arm  of  the  nation  should  at  once  be  used  to  strike 
a  forcible  blow  at  this  fearful  beast  of  the  West. 

The  time  has  assuredly  arrived  when,  at  any  cost,  the 
Mormon  power  must  be  crushed  out  of  existence.  All  sym- 
pathy with  such  heartless  rebels  is  completely  wasted,  and 
all  time  devoted  to  listening  to  the  appeals  of  the  thousands 
of  paid  scribblers  who  have  a  few  good  words  to  say  about 
their  industry,  etc.,  is  lost. 

The  United  States  must  at  once  and  forever  stamp  the  hfe 
out  of  this  hydra-headed,  defiant  devil,  or  its  fast-increasing 
power  will  seize  by  the  throat  all  our  republican  institutions, 


76  THE   CRIMES    OF    THE 

and  in  a  few  years  reduce  the  nation  to  a  mere  slave-breed- 
ing machine. 

It  is  dreadful  to  contemplate  the  awful  speed'  with  which 
this  repulsive  institution  is  growing.  The  American  people 
cannot  understand  the  dangers  of  the  situation,  or  in  their 
loyalty  they  would  place  upon  the  altar  their  lives,  fortunes 
and  sacred  honor  in  pledge  for  the  destruction  of  Mormonism. 

It  must  be  done,  and  done  quickly,  and  there  really  does 
seem  some  ground  for  hope  when  we  look  around  and  see 
the  many  organizations  for  the  suppression  of  the  evil. 

The  recent  subscribing  of  large  sums  of  money  by  the 
Christian  women  of  America,  toward  the  establishment  of 
industrial  houses  and  houses  of  refuge,  for  the  benefit  of  the 
degraded  Mormon  women,  is  very  encouraging. 

There  can  be  no  doubt  that  thousands  of  polygamous 
wives  would  leave  their  wTetched  homes  immediately,  if  they 
could  but  see  the  slightest  means  of  subsistence  held  out  to 
them  by  friendly  hands. 

The  building  of  places  where  there  is  a  chance  for  even  a 
night's  lodging  and  a  breakfast,  free  from  the  espionage  of 
the  Mormon  Church,  will  enable  thousands  of  forlorn  women 
to  escape  from  their  lecherous  and  brutal  masters.  Let  it 
once  be  known  that  a  woman  who  leaves  the  fated  den  of 
her  diabolical,  slave-driving  owner  can  receive  a  little  assist- 
ance by  the  way  of  shelter  and  food  for  herself  and  children, 
if  even  for  a  few  days,  and  such  a  revolution  will  occur  as 
will  shake  Mormonism  to  its  very  centre. 

All  and  every  influence  must  be  brought  to  bear  on  this 
cancerous  growth,  that  its  blood-poisoning  may  be  checked 
before  it  impregnates  the  whole  people. 

Already  is  the  baneful  influence  of  this  soul-destroying 
religion  making  itself  felt  in  the  lack  of  moral  tone  in  the 
nation. 

The  marriage  tie  is  now  looked  upon  as  a  farce  by  a  large 
proportion  of  the  people  of  the  Eastern  and  Western  States, 
and  it  is  but  natural  that  such  should  be  the  case  when  the 
legislators  of  the  country  allow  the  existence  of  such  a  de- 
grading example  as  Mormonism  to  flourish  defiantly. 

All  sense  of  virtue  will  soon  die  out  of  the  public  mind, 
if  we  allow  this  lustful  Church  to  set  the  pattern,  as  it  is  now 
doing.     Thousands,  yea,  scores  of  thousands  of  our  young 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  77 

women  sell  themselves  for  gold,  with  the  utmost  disregard 
for  social,  national  and  personal  consequences.  Why? 
Largely  because  the  foul  and  filthy  religion  of  the  Rocky 
Mountains  has  spread  its  baneful  influence  like  a  blight  over 
the  moral  health  of  the  people  of  the  republic. 

Soon  will  it  be  said  that  a  virtuous  woman  cannot  be 
found,  if  we  do  not  prize  them  more  highly  than  to  allow 
the  libidinous  Turks  of  Mormonism  to  thus  degrade  the 
sex.  Our  mothers  and  our  sisters  cry  out  in  unmistakable 
tones,  demanding  that  we  purify  the  moral  atmosphere  at 
the  peril  of  our  lives. 

The  God  of  Nature  demands  that  we  hold  our  manhood 
in  higher  estimation  than  to  deprave  our  race  by  the  inter- 
mixing of  the  foul  polygamous  brood  of  Mormonism  with 
the  noble  stock  of  American  manhood.  The  dead — the  im- 
mortal dead — appeal  to  us  in  voiceless  agony,  and  piteously 
beg  us  to  defend  the  honor  and  purity  of  their  paternity. 

The  founders  of  this  republic  cry  out  and  intercede  at 
the  Throne  of  Grace  for  the  purification  of  our  hearts,  that 
we  may  sense  the  importance  of  the  trust  they  imposed  in 
us.  They  plead  for  our  enlightenment,  that  we  may  see 
and  sense  the  danger  of  the  times,  fearing  that  in  our  leth- 
argy the  proudest  nation  on  the  earth  may  find  the  elements 
of  decay  and  disgrace. 

The  glorious  spirit  of  the  immortal  Washington,  as  it 
sheds  its  halo  o'er  the  land  of  liberty,  is  troubled  by  the 
manifestations  of  disregard  in  this  particular.  His  noble 
heart  must  bleed  as  he  glances  at  the  evidences  of  unfitness 
in  our  legislators,  who  idly  allow  the  teeming  corruption  of 
Mormonism  to  spread  its  malarial  poison  amidst  the  children 
of  his  native  land. 

Though  hell  itself  should  be  raked,  and  all  its  vilest  sinners 
chosen  therefrom,  none  could  be  found  who  would  excel  the 
viciousness  of  the  Mormon  leaders.  It  would  seem  that 
Lucifer  himself  had  selected  this  heartless  band  of  villains 
for  the  purpose  of  allowing  them  to  illustrate  his  wondrous 
hold  on  humanity ;  but  the  great  God  will  stretch  out  His 
hand  and  crush  them  into  powder,  if  we  only  do  our  duty. 

Who  can  retain  that  respect  and  love  for  his  native  land, 
which  every  honest  man  and  patriot  desires  to  have,  when 


78  THE   CRIMES    OF   THE 

such  institutions  as  Mormonism  rear  their  defiant  heads  in 
mocking  scorn  at  the  nation's  power  ? 

Who  has  a  right  to  expect  his  children  to  grow  up  in  the 
spirit  which  made  America  a  glorious  orb  in  the  universe  of 
nations,  if  we  allow — indeed,  if  we  foster — such  unnatural 
and  outrageous  excrescences  to  fatten  on  the  body  politic  ? 

Why  did  this  nation  shed  the  life-blood  of  half  a  million 
citizens  in  the  crushing  out  of  slavery,  if  it  shall  continue  to 
encourage  the  enslaving  of  women,  the  mothers  of  the  race  ? 

Polygamy  and  slavery  have  been  declared  the  "  twin  relics 
of  barbarism,"  and  slavery  has  been  abolished,  regardless  of 
cost  or  consequence ;  yet  polygamy  thrives  and  bids  fair  to 
injure  the  national  interests  to  a  greater  degree  than  its  twin 
sister. 

America  has  made  herself  the  laughing-stock  of  the  civi- 
lized world,  through  its  foolish  policy  in  the  treatment  of 
Mormonism.  It  is  our  boast  that  we  are  the  most  enlight- 
ened nation  on  the  earth,  and  it  should  be  our  pride  to  be 
able  to  make  a  good  showing ;  yet  the  most  insignificant 
may  point  the  finger  of  scorn  at  us,  and  we  must  "  grin  and 
bear  it." 

It  is  enough  to  make  a  man  ashamed  of  his  native  land, 
when  he  hears  the  seditious  threats  of  the  Mormon  elders  in 
the  various  meeting-places  in  Utah,  and  then  is  compelled  to 
say :  "  Well,  I  can  do  nothing,  and  the  Government  cares 
nothing." 

The  untold  wealth  of  Utah  should  be  developed.  All  the 
varied  products  are  needed  for  the  enriching  of  the  nation ; 
all  its  splendid  resources  belong  to  America,  and  should  be 
laid  at  the  feet  of  her  people,  as  the  reward  of  honest  enter- 
prise. Under  the  dominance  of  the  hierarchy  of  Mormon- 
ism, this  is  impossible.  These  alien  land-grabbers  have  taken 
all  the  valuable  territory,  and  use  every  effort  to  prevent  any 
development.  They  are  determined  to  break  down  the  Gov- 
ernment and  power  of  the  United  States,  and  they  care  not 
what  means  they  employ. 

Bribery,  treachery  or  murder  they  are  always  ready  to  put 
in  use  for  the  accomplishment  of  their  objects,  and  their  vast 
experience  fits  them  for  every  form  of  villainy.  They  never 
surrender  a  point.     They  always  gain  the  advantage  over 


LATTER   DAY   SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  79 

their  enemies  because  of  their  superior  opportunities,  which 
they  never  fail  to  utilize. 

There  is  an  irrepressible  conflict,  and  of  course  it  must 
end  in  the  annihilation  of  the  Mormon  Church — that  most 
rotten  of  all  the  rotten  institutions  on  the  face  of  the  earth. 

Just  when  the  crushing-out  process  shall  commence  de- 
pends upon  the  honor  and  integrity  of  the  national  law- 
makers. So  long  as  Congress,  or  any  of  its  members,  can 
be  approached  by  the  emissaries  of  Mormonism,  who,  with 
well-filled  purses,  purchase  friendly  action,  or  forestall  inim- 
ical legislation,  so  long  will  this  iniquitous  banditti  remain 
in  power. 

Have  \v^e  no  honest  men  at  the  head  of  our  Government  ? 
Are  all  corrupt  ?     It  cannot  be  ! 

Let  us  hope  and  work.  Let  us  do  anything  rather  than 
wait. 

Agitation — constant  and  fierce  agitation — is  the  remedy. 
We  shall  eventually  break  down  the  strength  of  Mormon 
organization.  Soon  will  the  walls  crumble,  and  the  victory 
will  be  ours.  Long  enough  has  this  vile  monster  held  us 
in  terror  and  enslaved  the  heavenly  sex,  to  the  degradation 
of  the  entire  human  race. 

Now  we  will  march  onward  to  victory ;  onward  to  the 
speedy  establishment  of  national  decency ;  onward  to  the 
annihilation  of  the  devil  incarnate — the  priesthood  of  Mor- 


CONCLUSION. 

What  should  and  must  be  done.  The  attention  of  states- 
men demanded.  The  military  should  be  ready  to  en- 
force law. 


As  this  little  work  must  now  come  to  a  close,  I  will  give 
a  brief  resume  of  the  best  methods  for  the  crushing  out  of 
Mormonism. 

First  let  me  say  that  it  is  utterly  ridiculous  to  talk  about 
doing  any  good  in  the  case  by  being  friendly  toward  the 
religion  or  the  people.  It  and  they  are  such  abominable 
frauds,  that  there  is  no  more  chance  of  convincing  them 
than  in  converting  a  burglar  when  you  catch  him  in  the  act. 


8o  THE    CRIMES    OF   THE 

The  most  feasible  plans  are,  therefore,  the  placing  of  Utah 
under  the  control  of  the  Governor  of  the  Territory,  who 
shall  be  assisted  by  a  small  commission  of  about  the  numer- 
ical strength  of  a  jury,  the  whole  number  to  be  selected 
either  by  Congress  or  the  Governor.  Give  to  this  commis- 
sion unlimited  authority,  even  to  awarding  capital  punish- 
ment for  any  offenses  which  they  may  deem  wisdom  to 
render  odious. 

Give  them  the  control  of  all  the  military  in  the  Territory, 
with  the  right  to  the  use  of  any  part  of  the  army  which  may 
be  necessary.  Let  them  hear  briefly,  and  determine  all 
offenses,  and  let  the  United  States  Courts  be  abolished  dur- 
ing the  supremacy  of  the  rule  of  the  commission.  ^  Trial  by 
jury  should  be  refused  to  every  Mormon,  and  all  the  ordi- 
nary processes  of  law  should  be  disregarded  in  this  anoma- 
lous case. 

Let  the  publication  or  the  advocacy  of  any  proposition 
inimical  to  the  United  States  or  the  commission  be  the 
signal  for  prompt  and  speedy  execution  on  the  public  scaf- 
fold. Teach  these  alien  rebels  what  it  is  to  offend  the  dig- 
nity of  a  nation  like  ours. 

Show  them  no  mercy.  Listen  to  no  apology.  Let  the 
only  object  of  the  commission  be  the  proof  of  wrong-doing 
and  the  immediate  dealing  out  of  rigid  penalty. 

Upon  the  demand  of  this  commission  for  documentary  or 
other  evidence,  make  it  a  capital  offense  to  obstruct  the  path 
to  the  fact.  Whether  on  the  part  of  a  lawyer  or  other  person, 
let  none  defend  them  on  any  technicahty.  If  it  can  beyond 
question  be  shown  that  they  are  not  guilty,  as  charged,  let 
them  go  free,  subject,  however,  to  a  second  investigation, 
should  any  new  points  appear  m  evidence. 

None  should  escape.  Old  and  young,  rich  and  poor, 
leaders  and  laymen,  men  and  women — all  should  be  treated 
alike. 

If  the  whole  colony  should  be  transported  to  Van  Dieman's 
Land,  or  any  other  place,  it  would  be  a  godsend  to  the  na- 
tion; therefore,  in  consideration  of  their  worthlessness,  points 
may  be  stretched  to  fit  their  cases  without  any  material  cause 
of  anxiety  or  compunction  of  conscience. 

The  best  and  wisest  men  in  all  this  land  have  thoroughly 
investigated  the  abominable  crime  of  Mormonism,  and  all 


LATTER    DAY    SAINTS    IN    UTAH.  8 1 

agree  that  as  the  Mormons  refuse  to  respect  the  Government 
of  the  United  States  in  a  state  of  peace,  they  should  feel  its 
power  when  aroused  in  military  anger. 

They  have  tried,  and  are  now  trying,  to  break  down  the 
nation ;  now  let  the  nation  break  them  down. 

As  we  would  destroy  a  pair  of  vipers  before  they  reproduce 
their  kind,  so  should  we  destroy  the  incestuous  nest  of  Mor- 
monism  to  prevent  the  further  output  of  this  hell-brood. 

WTien  a  man  is  attacked  by  a  venomous  serpent,  and  he 
realizes  that  his  life  is  endangered,  he  hesitates  not  in  regard 
to  the  means  of  destruction.  He  seizes  upon  the  first  and 
most  effective  method,  and  deals  out  without  mercy  every 
available  means  of  disabling  and  destroying  his  dread  ag- 
gressor. 

So  should  and  must  this  nation  deal  with  the  outrageous 
crime  of  Mormonism.  Without  regard  to  the  method,  the 
result  must  be  attained.  The  end  will  justify  the  means,  no 
matter  how  harsh  or  cruel  it  may  seem. 
A  Punic  proverb  here  seems  apropos. 
"EKAWA  NEMSETATSY!  DEYTALIHINYNA 
EBY  TON  TYSUM  TYSEW  EHT.  GYNIMOCHY- 
TROF  EB  DYLUOHYS  DYNA  DYNYAMED  NI  SYI 
MODSIW.  ESUYAP  LYLIW  NEYM  ESIWY.  NOI- 
TULOVYER  YA  TUOHTIW  DEIDEMEYR  EB  LYLA 
NAC  SYNOMROYM  EHT  FO  STLUAF  EHYT. 
DEIFSITAYS  EB  LYLIW  ROHTUAY  EHT  NOITA- 
GITYSEVYNI  ECUDNI  DYNA  DYNIM  CILBUPY 
EHYT  NI  NOITUAYC  ECUDORP  LYLAHS  TI  YFI. 
SYNOMROYM  EHYT  TYSNIACAY  SRFHYTO  TY- 
SOM  EKIL  TYSUJY  EILY  DETARETYLUDANU 
NAY   YSI    KOOBY   SYIHTY." 

Which,  being  liberally  interpreted,  is:  When  a  commu- 
nity has  incurred  the  displeasure  of  the  gods,  so  that  its 
members  feel  constramed  to  confess  their  crimes,  to  free 
their  minds  from  the  curse  of  their  abominations,  then  shall 
the  hand  of  their  superiors  prevail  against  them.  Disgrace 
and  death  await  the  unjust.  The  horrors  of  the  lower  world 
are  hungry  to  devour  them. 

Whether  this  may  have  reference  to  the  Mormons  or  not, 
there  can  be  no  question  that  many  of  their  members  have 


82        THE  CRIMES  OF  THE  LATTER  DAY  SAINTS  IN  UTAH. 

been  forced,  by  some  unseen  power,  to  confess  their  crimes 
to  ease  their  minds. 

After  having  written  this  book,  I  feel  that  my  mind  is 
more  at  ease.  I  have  a  consciousness  of  having  done  a 
duty,  and  now  I  only  await  a  suitable  opportunity  to  con- 
tinue in  my  exposures  in  courts  of  laW  and  elsewhere,  until 
I  have  done  my  whole  duty. 

For  years  I  have  struggled  against  my  good  intentions, 
and  labored  to  avoid  the  exposures  which  I  have  *  here 
made ;  but  some  time  since  an  irresistible  power  seemed  to 
urge  me  to  write,  and  even  now  I  can  scarcely  explain  how 
I  came  to  do  what  I  have  done. 

My  readers,  in  all  probability,  will  hear  from  me  again  be- 
fore long. 

It  may  be  as  a  witness  against  prominent  Mormon  crimi- 
nals, or  as  the  prosecutor  in  matters  almost  forgotten ;  but 
my  work  has  commenced  and  must  proceed,  regardless  of 
where  it  may  lead  me,  or  what  may  be  the  result. 

In  the  meantime,  I  shall  not  give  my  enemies  an  oppor- 
tunity to  take  advantage  of  me. 

I  have  given  enough  to  open  the  eyes  of  many,  and  shall 
give  more  ere  long. 

"A  word  to  the  wise  is  sufficient." 


THE    END. 


A  BOOK  OF  HORRORS! 


